


Fate/Universal Zero

by ArkadySvidrigailov



Category: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-06
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2019-10-23 11:28:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17682584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArkadySvidrigailov/pseuds/ArkadySvidrigailov
Summary: The Multiverse contains an infinite number of possibilities. Most familiar, but some with histories so radically different that their heroes and legends are nothing like our own. The 4th Holy Grail War is coming, but the participant's planning and preparation will be thrown out the window when the Heroes summoned are nothing like they expected(Fate/Zero with OC Servants)





	1. Prologue

    _The study of parallel worlds is one of the more obscure and misunderstood schools of magecraft. Outside of those with some connection to Zelretch’s Second Magic, there were few who thought about the concept on anything deeper than a purely theoretical level. Had you walked up to any random member of the Clock Tower and asked them to explain the Primary Branch (the central cluster of parallel universes supported by The World,) or the Lostbelt (parallel worlds that have diverged so much from the Primary Branch that they have become completely separated from it,) you would likely receive a blank stare and a quick excuse to leave._

_As such, rumors that a rare fluctuation in causality would cause several distant Lostbelts to be temporarily connected to the Primary Branch were treated by most as a simple curiosity. A few more inquisitive mages would attempt some radical experiments during this window of opportunity, but for most of the Association the event would pass by without any significant impact on their lives._

_That is, unless they were participating in a certain bloody ritual that took place every 60 years in a small eastern city. Decades of careful planning and preparation for the Holy Grail War were thrown into doubt by one simple change: the Servants who would be summoned to participate in the war would not be those from the well known History of Man, but instead heroes from the unknown Lostbelts._

 

**(*)**

 

    It was a simple matter of mathematics.

 

    Ten human lives were worth more than one. A hundred lives were greater than ten. A thousand greater than a hundred. That simple algebra was the core behind the concept of justice. If given a choice between sacrificing a single loved one or hundreds of other humans, there was only one correct solution.

    A young Emiya Kiritsugu repeated that thought for the hundredth time as he stopped his motorboat just outside of New York City, directly in the path that Natalia’s plane would take. He repeated it another time as he said his last words to the woman he had considered his mother and fired the Stinger missile. And he repeated it once again as he cried in grief as the fiery wreckage of the plane crashed into the water.

    This was the correct choice. Despite his pain, Kiritsugu held to his decision. The many always were greater than the few. That was justice. That was the only way to peace. And Kiritsugu would commit any evil or sin conceivable in order to achieve peace.

 

**(*)**

 

    It was a simple matter of mathematics

 

    Human lives were not equal in value. People may claim that they treated everyone equally, but only a truly broken person could actually go through with that claim. Everyone had someone they considered more important than anyone else. If given a choice between sacrificing a hundred meaningless strangers or a single loved one, there was only one correct decision.

    The Foreigner stood in the burning ruins of the city, their hands drenched in fresh blood. High above, cracks spread across the sickly green sky. These were the last dying moments of this world. Another seven billion lives thrown into the pyre.

And it still wasn’t enough.

    The Foreigner’s screams of rage echoed through the hollow buildings. How much longer would it have to fight? How many more sacrifices would need to be made? How many more worlds would they need to destroy?

    The numbers didn’t matter in the end. Any cost was worth it to save the one they loved. They would sacrifice everything that lived in exchange for this one person. No price was too high, no method too wicked, for the opportunity to spend just a few more minutes with them.

    The sky finally shattered completely as this world began to crumble away. It was time to leave for another universe. One which just might hold the secret that the Foreigner had been chasing for all these aeons.

    As the last remnants of that world faded into nothing, the Foreigner whispered a name. Just one word, but filled with immeasurably grief and longing. That name echoed across the broken world as it finally fell apart into oblivion.

 

* * *

 

 

**Since this is not a traditional crossover, I felt it necessary to explain a little about the idea behind this story. Rather than drawing on other popular media franchises for characters, I’m using characters from pieces of original fiction that I’ve written. The whole idea for this started when, during a moment of boredom, I decided to take some of my favorite characters and figure out what Servant class they would fit into. Next thing I knew I was giving them Servant parameters, then I was considering what would happen if these people were thrown into a Grail War, and all of the sudden I found myself outlining a fanfiction of Fate/Zero with all the Servants replaced by my characters.**

**I’m writing this fanfic with the assumption that most of its readers won’t be familiar with the background for any of these stories, as only one or two of them got any popularity outside of small writing communities. So you don’t need to worry about scrounging up and reading through all of the background to understand what’s going on; I’ll include all relevant information in this fic. If you are curious about where these people are coming from, here’s a short list:**

 

 

  * **_**_The Empire of Omegia_** **(Saber, Lancer, Assassin):**_ **Post-apocalyptic sci-fi/fantasy setting based heavily on Gnostic mythology****


  * **_Mephi_** **(Archer): A sci-fi-time-travel-action-romance-thriller thing with several different Lovecraftian Mythos all thrown into a blender and set to puree**


  * **_Smiting the Gods_** **(Berserker): My old Slender Man story from way back when I was a young and fresh-faced undergrad. Mix between gothpunk action and horror, leaning more towards the action side.**


  * **_Chaos Rider_** **(Rider): Dieselpunk action/thriller with inspiration from Japanese Tokusatsu shows. So far only a prologue, titled** ** _The Soulless Empress_** **, has been written and published online.**


  * **_The Queen of Maggots_** **(Caster): A short horror story using elements from the open-source Fear Mythos**



 

 

**And that’s all for the intro. Time to get back to the story y’all are actually here for.**


	2. The Knight of Discord

**I'm planning to get through introductions fairly quickly, so the first few chapters should all come within the next few days. The speed of updates will slow down after that, but the pace of the plot should pick up once we get all the new characters in place.**

* * *

 

    Years passed by, and the Holy Grail War drew closer. Not even news of the multiverse’s strange fluctuation deterred those who had been preparing for this moment. One by one, the Greater Grail began to select its champions.

    An assassin who sought world peace

    A sinful priest who searched for meaning

    A student of magecraft who wished to prove himself

    A mage who sought elegance in all parts of his life

    A man who tortured himself for the sake of a young girl

    A noble looking to display his superiority through honorable combat

    And a serial killer who would soon find himself confronted by a monster even greater than he.

**(*)**

    Half a world away from Fuyuki, a blizzard raged through Germany’s Eastern Alps. White winds shrieked through the valleys, whipping at dead trees and throwing pounds of snow through the air like white bullets. Only the most desperate and starving animals lived this high among the frozen peaks where not even a single flower could grow. In the center of the storm was a castle as white and cold as the snow around it. The Einzbern castle had stood in these mountains for centuries, its high walls and inhospitable location keeping all outsiders away from the precious secrets held within.

    At least, they once had. But now an outsider sat in the castle’s chapel. Emiya Kiritsugu, the Magus Killer, the newest adopted member of the Einzbern family, and their chosen champion in the coming war. At the moment, he didn’t look much like a champion. The Magus Killer slouched in the pews, an old and shabby suit on his shoulders and a burning cigarette dangling from his mouth. His eyes were locked on the chapel’s altar, where a beautiful scabbard of gold and blue lay.

    Old man Acht had spent a fortune to find Avalon, the scabbard that had once held Excalibur. A fortune that might have been completely wasted. Kiritsugu hadn’t followed every part of the old man’s explanation about this War’s irregularities; his focus had always being on practical application of magecraft rather than theory. But he understood the implications. There was no more guarantee that King Arthur would be summoned. And worse still, the Servants called to this war could be from parallel worlds so different his own that he could never predict their abilities. The most important part of an assassination was gathering intelligence, but how were you supposed to plan for fighting heroes from a completely different universe?

    It was rare for Kiritsugu to be so lost in thought that he wouldn’t hear the sound of a door opening, but the first he knew of someone else in the room was when she began to speak. “Will you be having dinner in here, Kiri?” Irisviel said.

    If he’d been surprised by her sudden appearance, Kiritsugu didn’t show it. He turned in his seat to phase his wife and gave a small smile. “Isn’t it too early for….” Kiritsugu paused as his eyes fell on his pack of cigarettes. It had been full when he’d come to the chapel in the morning. Now there were only 2 left in the box, lying next to an ashtray nearly overflowing from discarded butts. “I’m sorry, Iri.” He said with genuine regret. “I didn’t mean to ignore you and Illya all day.”

    Irisviel smiled at his apology, and then sat down next to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying the comforting familiarity. “As long as you’re really sorry, I’m sure I can forgive you.” A mischievous smile spread across her face. “But Illya seemed quite upset. I don’t know if she’ll accept your apology so easily.”

    A rare chuckle escaped Kiritsugu’s lips. “Maybe I’ll stay here a little longer, until she’s calmed down.”

    The two sat together in comfortable silence for some time, Irisviel’s pale skin and hair seeming to glow against the dark outfit Kiritsugu habitually wore. In all of his life, moments like these were rare. Moments of peace. Moments of happiness.

    That feeling of happiness was quickly crushed by a wave of guilt. He didn’t deserve happiness like this. Not after what he’d done. Not with what he was planning to do.

Kiritsugu stood up, slowly enough to not throw Irisviel off him. “Kiri?” She asked as he began to walk away.

He tried to look back at Irisviel, but every time he looked into her red eyes he was stabbed by another wave of guilt. Instead he turned his gaze to Avalon, and forced a confident smile onto his face. “We should start to prepare the summoning ritual. If the old man was right about the parallel worlds, I’d rather know what tools we’re working with sooner rather than later.”

**(*)**

    Hours later, the chapel was illuminated by a blue light emanating from a summoning circle drawn before the altar. Kiritsugu held out his right hand, the red command seals carved on it glowing with faint red light, and chanted the summoning ritual that would call their Servant.

“I call to thee; they body, borne of my will. My fate, resting on thy sword

If thou wilt bend to my will, my justice, heed the Grail’s call, and give me your answer!

I swear before you; I will become all that is good in the world, and I shall eradicate all that is evil.

Seven heavens, clad in three holy souls, cast aside your shackles and come forth, Guardian of the Scales!”

    The blue light flashed into a blinding intensity, and then faded as an intense wind began to blow around the room. And in the center of the summoning figure, a new figure stood. The ritual had succeeded. A Servant had been called to the Holy Grail War.

    “What the….” Kiritsugu briefly started to say in shock.The girl in front of him wasn’t like anything he had been preparing himself for. She looked far too young; barely a teenager, with such a scrawny body that Kiritsugu momentarily think she’d be knocked over by the gusts of wind blowing around her. Her small frame was partially hidden by the fraying black military coat that went down to her ankles. She wore no ornamentation, save a sword and scabbard at her waist and a glowing golden stone embedded in her skin just below the neck. Her face was as gaunt as the rest of her, and topped by a mess of dark pink hair that looked like it had never been within a mile of a comb. But it was her eyes that most caught Kiritsugu’s attention: they were bright gold, with slitted pupils. It was like staring into the eyes of a snake.

    The Servant drew her sword and held it out in a salute. The blade was not metal, but a material that glowed with a constantly shifting rainbow of colors. “I am Eris of Discordia, soldier of the Empire of Omegia and Grandmaster of the Aeon of Thule!” She twirled her sword around her wrist and sheathed it with one motion. All sense of ceremony vanished from her as she directed a cocky smirk towards Kiritsugu. “So. Are you my Master?”

**(*)**

  * _Class:_ Saber
  * _True Name:_ Eris
  * _Origin:_ Empire of Omegia
  * _Alignment:_ Chaotic Good



  * _Strength:_ B+
  * _Endurance:_ B
  * _Agility:_ A+
  * _Mana:_ A
  * _Luck:_ C



_Skills_

  * Battle Continuation D
  * Magic Resistance D
  * Mana Burst C
  * Vanguard of the Aeon C: Grants resistance to all Divine powers C rank and lower




	3. The Death's Head

Assassin was keeping a careful eye on her Master, Kotomine Kirei. He didn’t act like any of the priests she’d known in life. At first she assumed it was due to a difference between their worlds; after all, priests from a world where the archons of God were a part of daily life would be different from one where they weren’t. But after meeting his father, Risei, she had begun to doubt that conclusion. That man held the same iron belief and fiery passion she’d come to expect and loathe from the clergy. So what did that make of her Master, who held not even a spark of passion for anything?

But in reality, her discomfort with her Master was more personal in nature. Apart from being briefly shocked upon seeing her, Assassin hadn’t seen a single trace of emotion in him. His face was completely blank, and his eyes held nothing behind them. Eyes like that were disturbingly familiar. She saw them every time she looked at herself in the mirror.

“Assassin.” Her Master called for her. Ah, right, he wanted to show her to that Tokiomi person. She mentally slipped herself into her public persona. Time to put on a show.

 

**(*)**

 

When Kirei had confirmed that his ritual had failed to summon one of the Hassans, a hint of worry had entered Tohsaka Tokiomi’s mind. If the Grail truly was summoning abnormal Servants, then he could no longer assume that he would easily sweep through the war with the King of Hero’s power.

It was only a hint of worry, though. Tokiomi was not one to let a single obstacle disrupt his calm. To fall into panic before the war had even begun would be disgraceful to the Tohsaka name. Even if the tools he had to work with were faulty, the plan was too perfect to fail. With the secret support of the Church and his alliance with Kirei, it was inevitable that the Tohsaka family would gain the Grail, and achieve the greatest goal of magecraft: to reach the Root.

And so he had called Kirei to his workshop not only to share his latest intelligence on the other players in the War, but to see the new Assassin that he would have to work around. At Kirei’s order, the Servant appeared in a cloud of gold lights. And when Tokiomi saw her, his calm demeanor cracked.

This Servant looked like a  _ child _ ! Barely older than his own daughter, Rin! How could someone so young become a Heroic Spirit, much less one of the Assassin class?

Those feelings left him the moment he saw her face. No child could smile with such sadistic glee, or exude such intense bloodlust. No matter what she looked like, this girl was a killer. A frighteningly dangerous one. “The Assassin Eisheth, at your service!” She gave him a mocking bow. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you, Tohsaka Tokiomi.”

Having gotten over his surprise at her apparent age, Tokiomi could focus more on Assassin. Her appearance was disturbingly familiar to an Einzbern homunculus, with piercing crimson eyes, white hair, and pale skin. Her clothes were all black and fitted loosely on her, with the only ornamentation being a peaked cap with a silver skull embedded in the center. On her back were two sheathed daggers tied to her belt. And her attributes were….

For the second time, Tokiomi’s calm cracked.

There was a kind of balance to the Holy Grail War. Each class was supposed to have strengths and weaknesses that prevented any from being too overly advantageous. The Assassin class  was meant to be the weakest fighters, but the best at eliminating Masters. As such, they usually had subpar attributes that were made up for with their Presence Concealment.

This Eisheth was a different story. Her attributes looked more like a Saber’s: the only stat below a B- rank was Luck. And yet she still had a powerful Presence Concealment skill, as well as several other skills, including….

“Flight?” Tokiomi said, half thinking he must have read the name wrong.

“Indeed.” Assassin said with a smug smirk. In an instant black feathered wings appeared on her back and she began to float in the air. “Although Levitation would be a better name; the wings act more as power conductors than anything else.” As quickly as they’d appeared, the wings vanished, and Assassin gently landed back on the floor.

“This is… magnificent!” Tokiomi could barely contain his joy, already forgetting his misgivings about her youthful appearance. “You’ve done well, Kirei. With your Assassin and the powerful Servant my catalyst is sure to bring, no one in this war will be able to stand up to us!”

Assassin smirked at his exuberance. “Of course your victory is assured. I am, after all, the best assassin in the world.” Her eyes turned predatory as she stared at Tokiomi. “There is, however, the matter of my payment.”

That statement caused Tokiomi to falter. “Excuse me?”

Assassin continued. “For a Servant summoned to the Holy Grail War, the payment offered for their services is the chance to wish on the Grail. But according to my Master, my job will be to help you and your Servant get the Grail. Which means I will need some other form of compensation for my work. I’m an assassin, after all, not a charity.”

 

**(*)**

 

After Tokiomi had left, Assassin returned to her spirit form. She couldn’t believe he had actually fallen for all that bullshit. He was either an idiot or far too naive to be negotiating with murderers. That worked out for her benefit, though. If he honestly thought she was satisfied with other compensation, it would be easier for her to snatch the Grail from under him once he and his Servant had fulfilled their purpose.

Her Master was another issue. Sometimes he seemed a little too perceptive to be fooled by her acts. Had he seen through her that time? She hadn’t seen any sign of it, but he was a hard man to read. At least, he was most of the time. For the past ten minutes he had been staring in complete enrapturement at the profile Tokiomi had provided of a man named Emiya Kiritsugu. From what Assassin had gotten from her quick skim of the documents, the man didn’t appear that worthy of attention. Sure,as one professional to another, she acknowledged that the Magus Killer was a skilled assassin. With his talents at using mundane means to bring down supernatural targets, he would have practically been a celebrity back in her world. But from the moment he’d read first paragraph of the documents, Kirei seemed obsessed with the man.

Eisheth peered over her Master’s shoulder to take another look at the papers. Whatever her opinion may be, it seemed her Master was going to be drawn to this Kiritsugu. She needed to learn as much as she could; both about Kiritsugu, as well as the reason for her Master’s sudden obsession with him.

We’ll see who’s the better killer amongst us, Eisheth thought to herself. The Magus Killer? Or the Death’s Head?

 

**(*)**

  
  


  * _Class:_ Assassin
  * _True Name:_ Eisheth
  * _Origin:_ Empire of Omegia
  * _Alignment:_ True Neutral



 

  * _Strength:_ A+
  * _Endurance:_ B+
  * _Agility:_ A+
  * _Mana:_ B-
  * _Luck:_ C-



 

_ Skills _

  * -Presence Concealment B
  * -Mind’s Eye (True) B
  * -Flight A




	4. The Paladin of the Tower

“On my honor as a knight, I swear myself to your service, Master.”

Waver Velvet could barely believe what had just happened. He’d done it. He’d summoned a Heroic Spirit, the most powerful kind of familiar know to magecraft. If only those fools at the Clock Tower could see this: the child of a supposedly lesser family with barely any history behind it had done what they would have called impossible. If only that bastard Kayneth was here so Waver could rub it in his smug face.

“Master?” The Servant said, breaking Waver out of his fantasies. Right, he had to focus on the present. Gloating could wait until after he’d won the Grail. 

Waver took this chance to inspect his new Servant. Rider Class, which usually meant low stats but a strong Noble Phantasm. She was a fairly tall woman with long black hair and very Japanese features; Waver mentally noted that could help move around the city without drawing too much attention. Her clothes were another issue: a white double-breasted military uniform with silver epaulettes and rank insignia that Waver didn’t recognize. Definitely something that would stand out in modern Japan. Her left hand was covered by a silver gauntlet, and at her waist was a sword tied to a belt with a silver buckle that had an engraving of a tower in it. Also, Waver suddenly realized, she had been kneeling the entire time waiting for his reply.

“Um… I am Waver Velvet,” he tried putting the same dramatic gravitas she had when she asked her question, “As your Master, I accept your service!” Waver couldn’t stop the smile spreading on his face. That was actually kind of fun. But, on the other hand… “You can, um… you don’t have to bow.” He finished with some embarrassment.

The Servant stood up, but did not leave the summoning circle. “So, um…” Waver awkwardly continued. “What should I call you? Other than Rider?”

“My True Name is Hana.” She said. Waver thought it was an oddly mundane name for a Heroic Spirit. “Though I would prefer Rider.”

“Alright then!” Waver said, still riding the wave of excitement from his successful summon. “We need to prepare some things for the war. Follow me, Rider!”

Waver started to walk away, and then stopped when he realized that he wasn’t being followed. “Um… Rider?” He said to the Servant still standing in the circle.

“I have one question, my lord, before we begin.” Rider said as he hand moved to the hilt of her sword. “What wish do you seek from the Grail?”

That question caught Waver off guard. He stammered a few times before he could finally start to answer. “I want…” Waver looked down, away from Rider’s eyes. “I just want prove those fools at Clock Tower wrong. I want them to acknowledge my talent.”

When Waver said that, it seemed as though a layer of formality was stripped from Rider as she relaxed her stance and smiled for the first time. “Very well, my lord. If that is your wish, then I shall grant it.” Rider finally stepped out from the circle to stand besides her Master.

Waver sighed with relief. It felt as if he’d just passed some kind of test. “What would you have done if you didn’t like my wish?” He couldn’t help but ask.

Rider shrugged nonchalantly. “If I thought you had an evil wish, I would have slit my throat.”

There was a stunned moment of silence before Waver shouted, “WHAAAAAAAAT?” But you’re my Servant! You can’t…!”

Rider laughed at his reaction. “Don’t worry, I don’t plan on killing myself right now. But make sure you remember, my lord,” She stared at Waver with an iron gaze, “just because I’m a Servant doesn’t mean I don’t have a conscious.”

 

**(*)**

 

The clatter of a keyboard filled the room as Kiritsugu finished up the last of his preparations before leaving for Fuyuki. It had taken years to convince old man Acht to let him install a working computer and fax machine in the castle, but it had been worth it. There were some modern conveniences Kiritsugu wouldn’t give up for anything. Well, almost anything.

Kiritsugu had been aware of someone watching over his shoulder for a while, but had been trying to ignore it. But when the watcher started saying,  “Hm,” “Very interesting,” “Ooh,” every time he finished typing a sentence, he’d had enough.

“I told you to stay with Iri, Saber.” Kiritsugu said without looking away from his computer.

“Aaawww, but that’s  _ boooring _ !” The Servant replied, before flipping over the desk so she was now standing in front of him. “Besides, Comrade Iri said I should learn more about my ‘Master’ before he leaves.” She said “Master” with such sarcasm that Kiritsugu could hear the ironic quote marks being put around it..

Kiritsugu finally glanced up from his computer to look at his Servant. She smiled back at him, failing at putting on an innocent facade. From his few interactions with Saber so far, it wouldn’t be out of character for her to make up that story just to have an excuse to bother him. She was constantly doing everything she could to make ignoring her impossible. On the other hand, that did sound like something Iri would say.

“There’s nothing you need to learn. Just focus on protecting Iri and fighting Servants.” He said, hoping that would end the conversation.

“Come on, Comrade-Master Grumpy Pants! At least let me look at all that information you’ve got. What if I run into an undefended Master out there, but since I don’t know what they look like I can’t tell who they are and stab them? Bet you’d feel pretty silly then.”

Kiritsugu paused his typing for a moment. He’d expected certain kinds of behavior from heroes based on the legends he knew. Righteous, honorable, and all those other words that tried to cover the hypocrisy of their actions. But those were the kind of legends from his world. Maybe Saber’s home had a different definition of a hero….

“If you did see a Master without their Servant to protect them, would you attack them? Without hesitation?” He asked to confirm what she’d said.

She gave him a look implying he was an idiot for even asking that. “Well, duh. It’s the easiest way to win, right?”

Kiritsugu finally gave Saber his full attention. If he had been fortunate enough to summon a Servant that also followed his tactics and ideals, several tactical possibilities emerged. Time to put that to the test. “I want to know how you would react to this scenario: you have a job to hunt down a terrorist ringleader. You’ve tracked them down, but they’ve planted explosives at a concert. To set off the bombs they have to manually activate the detonator, but they’ve also taken a hostage and are using them as a shield. What do you do?”

Saber responded quickly. “Is the hostage or anyone at the concert of strategic value?”

Interesting question, but not the scenario Kiritsugu was looking for. “No. Everyone involved are civilians.”

Once again, Saber’s expression seemed to imply Kiritsugu was asking stupid questions. “Sacrifice the hostage. Eliminating the threat is top priority.”

Exactly what Kiritsugu would have done. Had he really gotten a Servant that in sync with him? There had to be a catch….

“I mean if you’re testing me about what I’ll do in the Grail War, of course I’m going to try to win this as quickly as possible. The whole thing’s too small scale to be any fun.”

Fun? Ah, there was the catch. “What do you mean, fun?”

Saber’s face lit up. “If we had, like, a hundred Servants all fighting each other, with the whole island as the battlefield, and no restrictions on having to hide from the public, that would be the best kind of war! I’d still be doing the underhanded stuff, gotta do what you gotta do to win, but at least I’d get the chance to really let loose and enjoy myself!”

Of course a hero that would understand his beliefs was too good to be true. Kiritsugu fought down the disgust rising in him. Her idea of “fun” was to let loose a hundred magical superhumans without any rules to rein them in? That wasn’t killing for the sake of a greater justice, that was just fighting for the sake of fighting. Tactically this Servant might complement him, but ideologically…. The very idea of someone who looked at a battlefield and called that hell “fun” brought up emotions that he thought he’d killed long ago.

“What, isn’t that the same for you?” Saber said with her head tilted. “I heard you traveled around the world looking for wars and fights. You enjoy that kind of stuff, right?”

“Get out.” Kiritsugu said, his voice a low growl. “Go back to Iri. I’ll make sure you get tactical information I’ve gathered later.”

Saber seemed like she was about to say something else before Kiritsugu repeated his command for her to leave. With a sullen look on her face she stomped out of the room, muttering under her breath about “grumpy pants” before slamming the door on her way out.

It took Kiritsugu a few moments to calm down. He shouldn’t have let her get to him like that. No matter what her beliefs were, Saber was still just a tool. All that mattered was that she fulfilled her purpose. Any tool was acceptable if it meant saving the world.

 

**(*)**

 

  * _Class:_ Rider
  * _True Name:_ Hana
  * _Origin:_ Chaos Rider
  * _Alignment:_ Lawful Good



 

  * _Strength:_ C
  * _Endurance:_ D
  * _Agility:_ B
  * _Mana:_ E
  * _Luck:_ D



 

_ Skills _

  * Magic Resistance D
  * Riding A




	5. The Queen of Maggots

Light filled the basement as Tokiomi spoke the last words of the summoning incantation. This was the moment that would decide the fate of the Tohsaka family. Even if it didn’t bring him Gilgamesh, a catalyst as old as the fossil of the first snakeskin was sure to summon an ancient and powerful Servant. It was time to roll the dice and see what kind of hero would be under his command.

The light faded, but there was nothing  the center of the summoning circle.

No one spoke as Tokiomi’s mind raced for an explanation. Had the summoning failed? He was sure he’d done everything right. He’d felt the power of the ritual as it had activated. Then why wasn’t….

“So who we waiting for?” A new voice said.

Kirei reacted immediately, drawing and throwing his black keys at the newcomer the moment they’d spoke. Assassin manifested just a moment later, throwing a black knife at the same target. “Whoah whoah hold on!” Their target shouted as both blades just barely missed them.

Tokiomi stared at this surprise visitor. A woman, holding both her hands up as if indicating surrender. “Hold, Kirei.” Tokiomi said. This magical connection he felt could only be one thing. “I believe this woman… may be my Servant.”

At Tokiomi’s command, Kirei put away his black keys, but Assassin did not let up her guard. Two more black knives had appeared in her hands, and while she didn’t throw them, she was keeping a careful eye on this Servant. Tokiomi started to say something to the new Servant, but she interrupted him by beginning to mutter to herself.

“Alright, let’s see…. Legs, check. Arms, check. Head, check. Boobs… oh god no I’ve lost my boobs what a trage-oh wait there they are, check.” She continued to go through the list of confirming she had all her parts, from her light brown skin, her free flowing black hair that went all the way to her ankles, the eyepatch covering her right eye, and her bright green left eye. “Neato, everything in its place. And I’ve still got clothes this time! Man, Servant summoning is way more convenient than what I had to deal with before.” The Servant’s checklist switched to her attire. “Okay, still got my coat….” She tugged at her long black duster. “Suit….” She gave her shabby green suit a quick lookover. “Tie… wait why the fuck do I have a tie I don’t wear these.” It took her several minutes to undo the tie’s knot, but once it was off she tossed it aside without a second glance.

Finally, the Servant shifted her attention to the others in the room. She glanced at over each person, muttering to herself as she did. Starting with Tokiomi, “Too stuffy…” Risei, “Too old…” Assassin, “Too young….” and finally Kirei, “Too grumpy…. God is it too much to ask that I get summoned by someone hot?” That question hung unanswered in the air for a beat before she continued, “Alright, which one of you dorks is my Master?”

This… was not how Heroic Spirits were supposed to act. Something must have gone wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. Until he could figure out where he’d failed, Tokiomi would have to try and salvage this mess as best he could. He gave a slight bow to the Servant and spoke, “I am Tohsaka Tokiomi, the one who summoned you. May I have the honor of knowing whom I am addressing?”

“Oho, this is nice, I like that bowing. People should do that to me more often.” The Servant said. “As for whomst I am, know that you are addressing the spectacular I-330, summoned into the strongest of all classes, the Archer class!” The self-proclaimed I-330 struck a heroic pose as she said this.

Assassin responded first, slyly saying, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I had thought that the Saber class was the strongest?”

If I-330 caught the sarcasm, she ignored it. “We’ll see how strong Saber is once I shove their own sword right up their asshole!”

“I believe we are getting off topic.” Risei interrupted, trying to swing control of the conversation away from the rambling Servant. “Tokiomi, I believe you had some things which we needed to discuss with your Servant?”

“Yes, of course.” Tokiomi gratefully grabbed to the lifeline Risei had given him. Even as he started explaining the situation to Archer, he could see her attention starting to wander. This War might be more frustrating than he could have ever imagined….

 

**(*)**

 

It was late at night when Archer’s briefing session ended. Late enough for the Masters to decide to wait until tomorrow before they began to plan how best to utilize their odd Servants’ abilities. Which left Archer and Assassin as the only ones awake in the Tohsaka estate.

Archer hadn’t wasted any time before she’d began searching for the wine cellar. Assassin had to admit that she was impressed at how quickly Archer had found it. Almost like she had some kind of Alcohol Detection EX skill. Equally impressive was how quickly Archer started to go through the bottles once she’d gotten inside.

Assassin quietly watched the spectacle of a Servant chugging wine directly from the bottle for a few minutes before making her presence know. “I don’t believe I’d heard any stories about an archer who drank by the gallon before going into battle.” She said as she materialized. “Perhaps your legend was actually a comedy about the fool who missed every shot she fired?”

The insult didn’t faze Archer at all. “You’re funny. Get me the guy who writes your material, I know a great comedy gig they could work in.” Archer tossed an unopened bottle to Assassin, who caught it without taking her eyes of Archer. “All the stuff in here’s shit.” Archer said. “I’m hoping if I drink all of it Tokiomi will be forced to buy some decent alcohol to replace it.” Archer noticed that Assassin hadn’t opened her bottle. “Aw, come on, be a good sport and take a sip.”

“Of the wine you just called shit? Forgive me if I decline your oh so generous offer.” Assassin placed the bottle back on the shelf. “Besides, I came here for a very different reason. There’s something that interests me.”

“Really?” Archer said in between drinks. “Only one thing? What a shame. Lots of things interest me, but I guess having one thing is better than none at all.”

Don’t get distracted, Assassin reminded herself. Stay on topic. “When you appeared, I know I threw a knife directly at your neck. But instead of cutting your throat, it hit a few centimeters away from where I’d aimed, only grazing you. I’ve never missed from that close before, so I’d love to know how you pulled off your little trick.”

An entire bottle was drank before Archer replied. “What trick? I was just standing still. You were there, you saw me. Maybe your aim’s not as good as ya think?”

“Really now? Perhaps you’d like me to test my skills again on you?”

The threat had the opposite of its intended effect; Archer began to laugh so hard she almost choked out the wine she was drinking. “Damn girl, you really got that ‘small child psychopath’ act down.”

Assassin’s expression froze. “What act?” She said in a strained voice.

“Aw, come on, don’t try and deny it. I can tell that whole little miss murder thing’s just a show. A really fucking good one, I have to give you that. But it’s still just a mask.”

There was a brief moment of silence between the two before Assassin relaxed her face. There wasn’t a single hint of emotion on it now, and the sadistic spark in her eyes had been replaced by an empty deadness. “How did you know?”

“Psychic powers!” Archer boldly proclaimed while raising a bottle. “Nah I’m just fucking with ya. I’ve seen enough shit in my life to know when someone’s pretending to be somebody else.”

“That sounds more like a skill you would pick up from personal experience.” Assassin’s deadpan voice carried only a hint of interest.

“Ha! I don’t need to wear any kind of mask. I’m a free spirit, dude. Wear my heart on my sleeve. You can read me like an open book. Like two peas in a pod. Wait no forget that last one, wrong metaphor.”

“Hmm.” Assassin’s raised eyebrow showed she wasn’t entirely convinced. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter, anyways. Just as long as you’re not hiding anything that might be useful for the war.”

“Gotcha, no hiding Important War Stuff!” Archer said to Assassin as she began to leave. “Hey, wait, at least help me finish some of this off!” Archer shouted again before Assassin could get out the door.

Assassin stopped long enough for Archer to toss her another bottle. This time she popped off the cork and took a small sip from the bottle before saying, “You were right. This is terrible wine.” And with those words, Assassin left the cellar, taking the occasional drink as she walked out.

 

**(*)**

 

Ryuunosuke’s death did not come quickly.

 

The murderer had sought to summon a demon, and he had succeeded more than he could ever have anticipated. The moment he finished reciting the words of the ritual, an eruption of insects flew out of the bloody summoning circle. The room was filled in seconds as they devoured the fresh corpses of the home’s owners, their tied up child, and then began to burrow into Ryuunosuke. He couldn’t even open his mouth to scream before more poured into his throat, eating and breeding at an impossibly fast pace through his body. He drowned on the unending swarm of insects that flooded his lungs, all while feeling his body being ripped apart from the inside.

When the last of the insects and entered Ryuunosuke’s body, the room became deathly quiet. His corpse still stood, its skin writhing as the things beneath moved through its body. The magical circuits had been left untouched, as well as just enough of the life functions necessary to keep those circuits active. Ryuunosuke may have been dead, but the newly summoned Servant wasn’t going to let that stop his body from providing mana.

With stiff movements, the corpse walked out the door. This host body may be necessary, but it wasn’t ideal. New hosts shouldn’t be too hard to acquire. The whole world was at its feet, unprepared and unguarded. Like a rotten corpse just waiting to be consumed.

The Queen of Maggots had joined the Holy Grail War.

 

**(*)**

 

  * _Class:_ Archer
  * _True Name:_ I-330
  * _Origin:_ Mephi
  * _Alignment:_ Chaotic Neutral



 

  * _Strength:_ D
  * _Endurance:_ C
  * _Agility:_ A
  * _Mana:_ A
  * _Luck:_ E



 

_ Skills _

  * -Independent Action A+
  * -Mind’s Eye (False) EX
  * -God Slayer C
  * -Natural Body A



 

* * *

 

 

  * _Class:_ Caster
  * _True Name:_ The Queen of Maggots
  * _Origin:_ The Fear Mythos
  * _Alignment:_ Lawful Evil



 

  * _Strength:_ E
  * _Endurance:_ EX
  * _Agility:_ E
  * _Mana:_ A
  * _Luck:_ A



 

_ Skills _

  * -Independent Action A+
  * -Territory Creation B
  * -Divinity A+
  * -Charisma A+




	6. The Saint of Fire

For most people, the city of Fuyuki was an uninterestingly average Japanese city. It had no nationally renowned landmarks, no famous celebrities, and no major historical events apart from a Grail War that only a tiny fraction of people even knew about. But for the two girls riding in the back of the Einzbern car, it was the most astonishing city in the world. Saber and Irisviel gawked out the windows as they passed through the skyscrapers of downtown Fuyuki, oblivious to anything but the scenery. Only when the car had to stop at an intersection was Saber able to take her eyes from the window long enough to talk to Irisviel. “I thought you’d be used to stuff like this, Comrade Iri. This is your native world, after all.”

Irisviel gave Saber a look somewhere between annoyance and laughter, “Saber, what did I say about calling me that?”

Saber quickly waved her hands apologetically. “Sorry, Comr- I mean, sorry Iri. It’s a hard habit to break.”

“It’s alright.” Irisviel smiled at her companion. It had taken hours to convince Saber to put on a suit, but Irisviel thought she looked very dashing in it. “This may be my world, but this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this.” Irisviel began to answer her question. “I’ve spent my entire life in the castle. I’ve looked at pictures of places and Kiritsugu’s told me stories, but this is the first time I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“Really? You’ve  _ never _ been outside?” Saber seemed horrified.

Irisviel laughed at the Servant’s strong reaction. “No, never. But it’s alright now that I get to see it like this.”

“Nah, no this ain’t good enough.” Saber slapped the back of the driver’s seat and told him to stop the car. “You gotta walk through a city at least once in your life. It’s an important experience!”

“But... “ Irisviel seemed tempted by the offer, but couldn’t rid herself of all her reluctance. “Shouldn’t we drop off our luggage first and….”

“You gotta.” Saber interrupted Irisviel as she got out of the car. “Come on out, it’ll be great. I used to patrol through cities all the time. I’m an expert on urban exploration!”

Saber’s energy was infectious, and Irisviel couldn’t help but feel excited as she took the Servant’s hand and began to explore the streets of Fuyuki.

 

**(*)**

 

While Saber was telling the truth about her experience in traversing urban areas, she hadn’t mentioned how much of that experience was negated by her short attention span. The Servant and homunculus pair dashed all around the city, carried by whatever distraction they’d most recently seen. By the time they made it to the beach, the sun had set long ago and Irisviel’s legs were too tired to do anything but sit on the sand and let her feet relax in the water. Saber still hadn’t gotten tired of playing, and was jumping and running through the waves as they splashed onto the shore. It was going to take a lot of work to clean up the mess that saltwater was making of her suit, but she looked too happy for Irisviel to stop her.

“Thank you for escorting me today, Saber.” Irisviel said when the Servant took a break from her games.

“No problem!” Saber cheerfully replied. “I got to have alot of fun too! I’d never imagined seeing a city like this. Everything here’s so different from what I’m used to.”

Irisviel’s curiosity couldn’t pass the opportunity. “What were the cities like where you’re from, Saber?”

Saber sat down next to Irisviel before answering. “It’s much more peaceful here. Our cities back home are made mostly of concrete instead of metal and glass. Everything has to be designed strong enough to be used as a shelter in case of an attack. I didn’t see anyone here carrying a weapon, either, which would have been crazy back home. All able-bodied adults were expected to be armed at all times, in case the local militia required their support. It’s… easier to relax in this town. Even knowing that there are other Servants out there, seeing the regular people not having to stay constantly on the lookout for threats is calming.”

“So you like it better here than back home?” Irisviel said mischievously.

“Nope! Not at all!” Saber responded with pride. “This is a nice place to visit, but I’d take living in Omegia over any other place!”

Both girls laughed at Saber’s over-dramatic statement for a while before suddenly turning serious. “We’ve got a Servant watching us.” Saber said. “Couple hundred meters that way. Not trying to hide, so it’s probably some overdramatic idiot putting out a challenge.”

Irisviel nodded in acknowledgement. “Are you prepared to fight tonight, Saber?”

“Heck yeah I am! The question’s if we want to go up politely and accept their challenge or just rush in and kill them before they can react.”

“If you can sense them, they can probably sense you.” Irisviel said after a moment’s thought. “We’ll face them directly.”

 

**(*)**

 

The first battlefield for the Holy Grail War was set at the dock warehouses by the mouth of the Mion River. Between the cargo containers, a Servant in brilliant white armor and flowing black hair proudly stood awaiting for his opponent. He didn’t have to wait long before Saber and Irisviel arrived, ready for battle.

“I applaud your courage as the first in accepting my challenge!” The white clad Servant proclaimed immediately upon seeing them. “I will remember you as the bravest amongst my opponents when I claim the Grail!” A spear tipped banner appeared in his hand, its flag not yet unfurled. “In the name of my noble Master, I, Servant Lancer challenge you!”

“Be careful, Saber.” Irisviel said. “We don’t know-”

Saber cut her off, speaking directly to the enemy Servant. “You’re the Titan Lord Hyperion.” Irisviel was shocked by the powerful rage in Saber’s voice. It seemed so unlike the cheerful and energetic girl; even in her angriest rants towards Kiritsugu, Saber had never shown anything near the intense hatred that was being directed at Lancer.

“Ha! I had not expected my fame to reveal me so quickly!” Lancer said, oblivious to Saber’s fury. He leaned against his spear and casually said, “For you to know my name, you must come from the same world as I. May I have the honor of knowing which nation you represent in our duel?”

Instead of replying, a storm of golden lightning erupted around Saber’s body. In that golden light, Saber’s sword appeared in her hand and her suit was replaced with her long black coat. Lancer’s eyes narrowed when he saw the change, and he quickly shifted into a combat stance. “I see.” All friendliness had vanished from his voice. “I would recognize the uniform of the apostates anywhere. How fortunate that my first act in this war will be to cleanse this world of your filth, you degenerate sc-”

Saber launched her attack before he could finish his speech, charging forward with a battle cry of “TIL VALHALL!” Sword clashed against spear as the first battle of the Holy Grail War began.

 

**(*)**

 

  * _Class:_ Lancer
  * _True Name:_ Hyperion
  * _Origin:_ Empire of Omegia
  * _Alignment:_ Lawful Evil



 

  * _Strength:_ A+
  * _Endurance:_ B
  * _Agility:_ A
  * _Mana:_ B
  * _Luck:_ C



 

_ Skills _

  * -Magic Resistance C
  * -Protection of the Faith C
  * -Flight B
  * -Charisma C




	7. Banner of Hyperion

    A silver light sped through the streets of Fuyuki, weaving between cars with impossible finesse. Those who got a brief glance at the light before it flew by would have described it as a motorcycle; while that might not be an entirely inaccurate descriptor, it failed to capture just how unusual the vehicle was. It’s frame glowed with an unearthly light that seemed to phase in an out of reality as dozens of clockwork gears spun through its engine. Strangest of all, its wheels never touched the ground. They hovered a scant few centimeters above the road, held aloft by the same light that covered the vehicle.

    If he had been able to, Waver would have been screaming at the top of his lungs the entire time as he clung to Rider. As things were, they were traveling too fast for him to even draw in enough breath for a single shout. When he saw that Rider’s mount looked like a mundane modern vehicle, he hadn’t given a second thought before getting on, expecting a normal ride. He only now realized he should have known better than to assume a Servant’s mount would be anything normal.

    The vehicle came to an immediate stop when it reached the Fuyuki Bridge. Rider jumped off the bike and ran to the side of the bridge. “The fight’s already started, Master!” She began to look around the bridge for a better vantage point, until finally settling her gaze on the red arches. “We can get a better view up there! Come on, let’s go!”

    “HOLD ON!” Waver shouted. His legs were still shaking too much to get off the bike. “We can’t go up there! Th-that’s way too high!” Inwardly, all Waver could think about was how much he missed England.

    Upon seeing her Master, Rider bowed on one knee and held her head down, shame covering her face. “I apologize, my lord. I had forgotten my place; I should have asked you for orders instead of making decisions on my own.”

    Aw come on, Waver thought. A girl apologizing like that is making me feel like I’m a bad guy. “You… you don’t have to bow like that, remember?”

    “Of course, my lord. I apologize.” Rider said as she stood up.

    “You don’t need to apologize for that! And stop calling me ‘my lord’! My name’s Waver! WAVER!” He shouted while aiming a finger straight at Rider’s face.

    Rider was surprised by his outburst, but still smiled and gave a shallow bow. “Of course, Waver. What are your orders for me?”

    Waver looked away to try and feign disinterest. “Well, I suppose… we can… go on top of the bridge so we can watch the fight….” He mumbled.

    “Are you sure? Just before you were saying-”

    “Yes I’m sure! Now get me up there before I change my mind!”

 

**(*)**

 

    “TIL VALHALL!”

    “DEUS VULT!”

    The two Servants’  battle cries echoed across the docks as they clashed. Saber kept on the offensive, forcing Lancer to slowly fall back under the onslaught. There was no finesse in her strikes, but she made up for that with raw power and speed. No matter how many openings Lancer saw in her attacks, he didn’t have time to take advantage of them before the next blow was coming at him. But even with Saber’s thundering attacks, she couldn’t land a single hit through Lancer’s skillful defense.

    “Where’s your Master, Titan?” Saber taunted her opponent while launching another attack. “Too much of a coward to stand on the battlefield?”

    “My Master is noble in both lineage and bearing.” He snarled back between parries. “He understands that fighting is a duty for his vassals, not something a lord should dirty their hands with!”

    Too high up for any of of the combatants to see, Assassin floated above the battlefield, quietly observing the fight. Kirei watched through her eyes as he reported the events to Tokiomi in what could be loosely called a magical conference call.

    “The Einzbern Servant appears to be the Saber class. The other Servant is Lancer, although his Master has not shown themself.” Kirei messaged Tokiomi.

    _“Can Assassin discern anything about their abilities?”_ Tokiomi responded.

    The Servant had to think for a while about how she should answer that question after Kirei conveyed it to her. “Yeah.” She said. “They’re both from the same world as me. I know exactly who the two of them are.”

    _“What? Are you sure”_ Tokiomi messaged incredulously. After receiving a confirmation, he said, _“To be able to find out everything about two enemy Servants this early in the war, without them even knowing what ours looks like... . This is most fortunate. Kirei, you truly have summoned an excellent Servant.”_

    “Thank you.” The priest replied quietly before turning his attention back to Assassin. It was possible that knowing more about the Einzbern’s Servant could lead to information on Kiritsugu. “What can you tell us about them?”

    “Well I can tell you that both of them are really holding back. This whole place would be a crater if they both decided to stop playing around.” She said with a playful laugh. “The Lancer’s Saint Hyperion. He died before I was born, so the only things I know is what’s recorded by historians. You’ll know he’s started taking the fight seriously once he gets his wings out. As for the Saber….” Assassin could feel her sadistic mask slipping as she looked at the pink haired girl. “Her true name is Eris. She’s the one who killed me.”

    Kirei had noticed brief moments where his Servant’s cheerful malevolence was replaced with an emotionless monotone before, but he hadn’t expected it here. When he imagined how someone would react when confronted with their killer, he expected them to be filled with rage, or grief, or some other powerful emotion. Assassin just sounded tired.

    _“Would you be at risk if you fought her again?”_ Kirei had conveyed to Tokiomi Assassin’s message, but hadn’t made any comment to inform him about her change in tone.

    “Of course not. Who do you think I am?” Assassin’s usual attitude had returned. “She caught me off guard last time. If we meet again in this war, I won’t make the same mistakes a second time.”

 

**(*)**

 

    As the two Servants’ clashed, Kiritsugu silently moved into position near a crane overlooking the battlefield. As intense as Saber’s battle may have been, in Kiritsugu’s larger plan its only role was to be a distraction. Servants were hard to kill. Masters weren’t. It was obvious which should be targeted.

    Kiritsugu focused his scope on Saber and Irisviel for a moment to confirm their status, and then began to sweep it across the docks. Lancer’s Master was staying out of sight, but they would still need some way to keep an eye on the fight. It was likely that he would be positioned somewhere high up, with a clear line of sight towards Lancer. Kiritsugu just had to look for places that matched that description, and….

    There. He picked out a human shaped figure in his thermal scope. Looking through his rifle’s main scope confirmed that a man was standing on top of a nearby warehouse, watching the fight.

    “Maiya, northeast of Saber….” Kiritsugu radioed to his partner. “Lancer’s Master is on the warehouse roof. Do you see him?”

    A few seconds passed before she replied. “No. He’s in my blind spot.”

    “Understood. I’ll take care of him.”

    Even as Kiritsugu began to set up his rifle’s tripod, he kept one eye on the fight below. So far it seemed that the two were stuck in a stalemate. If he could take down Lancer’s Master quickly enough, then the outcome of their fight wouldn’t matter.

    “Enough playing around, Lancer.” The enemy Master was using magecraft to amplify his voice in order to hide his location. It was too late for that. “You may use your Noble Phantasm.”

    Down between the crates, Lancer disengaged from Saber and put on an fiendish smile. “Thank you, my Master!” He yelled as he unfurled the banner wrapped around his spear. It revealed a white flag, with a sword wreathed in flames in the center. “If your Master wishes to stand on the battlefield like a common soldier, then she can die like one too! [ _Cleansing Light of the Divine_ ] **Holy Flame**!”

    A fire so hot that even Kiritsugu could feel it from his position burst from Lancer’s banner and flew towards his opponents. Kiritsugu pushed the spectacle to the back of his mind; Saber could handle it, and he’d finished setting up his rifle. One shot to Lancer’s Master, and then….

    At the last second, Kiritsugu realized that Saber wasn’t the target of the flames

    “Iri!”

 

**(*)**

 

    The fire twisted like a snake as it shot forward, slipping past the unprepared Saber. The attack moved so fast that Irisviel barely had time to realize what was happening before it was almost upon her. There wasn’t enough time to even think about getting out of the way….

    Saber moved too fast for Iri’s eyes to follow. In a flash she was in front of Iri, swinging her sword down at the spear of flame. The glowing blade split split the fire into two halves that blew past Irisviel. Even without a direct hit, the heat was hot enough to singe her coat. Saber hadn’t come out unscathed either; the skin on her arms had been burned off, leaving charred muscle and bone visible. Irisviel immediately started casting healing magic on the Servant; there wasn’t enough time to fix the damage entirely, but at least she could keep Saber in the fight.

    “Thanks Comrade.” Irisviel didn’t bother correcting Saber this time. There were more important things to worry about than what the Servant was calling her.

    “Quite a bit faster than I expected.” Lancer grumbled. “But how long can you keep moving that quick?” More bursts of fire came from his spear and flew at Irisviel from every angle. Saber dashed to intercept each attack, not letting a single spark reach Iri. But every deflected attack left more wounds on her body, and Irisviel’s magic couldn’t heal fast enough to cure them all. Trying to attack Lancer would mean leaving Iri defenseless against the fire. But if Saber kept defending, it would only be a matter of time before she was worn down and burned along with Irisviel.

 

**(*)**

 

    Kiritsugu cursed himself. He must really be going soft if he had made such an amateur mistake. Shouting wouldn’t help Irisviel; it only gave away his position. If he’d taken the shot an eliminated Lancer’s Master, the battle would have already been won.

    With low expectations, Kiritsugu looked through his scope. The enemy Master was nowhere to be seen. He must have hid himself as soon as he realized that someone else was here. “Maiya, can you see Lancer’s Master?” If their target had escaped, the only way they were going to survive the fight with Lancer was for Saber to abandon Irisviel. If things came to that….

    “I have a visual on him. He’s moved to ground level.” Maiya’s reply filled Kiritsugu with immediate relief. If he was still in the area, they could still end the fight by killing Lancer’s Master. “But I don’t have a clear shot. And he seems to have some kind of Mystic Code with him.”

    Dammit, they didn’t have time for these complications. “I’ll move to a spot with a clear line of sight. Describe his Mystic Code.”

    “It’s a sphere made of some kind of liquid metal. Currently it’s floating behind him. Do you have any idea what it is?”

    Kiritsugu thought through the list of enemy mages he’d studied as he ran across the docks. “Volumen Hydrargyrum. Which means the target’s Kayneth El-Melloi. Hold your position for now, and report any more movement. We’ll need to make this fast.”

 

**(*)**

 

    It was a miracle that Saber had survived for so long. Her left arm had been burned down to the bone, and her legs were shaking just from the effort of standing up. Even so, she still glared defiantly at Lancer.

    “This battle has been decided. If you surrender, then I will be willing to let your Master leave with her life and turn herself in to the Church.” Lancer said calmly.

    “Screw you!” Saber growled out her response.

    Lancer heaved a heavy sigh. “You apostates are all madmen. Then if you’re so desperate for a pointless death, I suppose I must comply. **Holy Fl** -”

    A cargo crate exploded outward as a man with a maniacal smile tore through it. “Who the hell are-” was all Lancer managed to say before the smiling man punched him right in the face.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Weapon_ : Pleroma Sword

 _User_ : Eris

A sword made of sacred knowledge given physical form. It can cut through D rank or lower magical and B rank or lower divine powers. The sword may also be used as a conduit for the user’s power, allowing them to perform a D rank Mana Burst

 

* * *

  


_Noble Phantasm_ : Holy Flame B-

 _User_ : Hyperion

Divine flames hot enough to burn through any defense, magical or mundane, of a lower rank. The fire’s movement is completely controlled by Hyperion, and can be summoned and banished at will.


	8. The God Slayer

“Ha! Now things are getting interesting!” Archer yelled as she watched the fight through her rifle’s scope. Not that there was anyone else around on top of the skyscraper to hear her. She’d been seriously considering taking a shot at Lancer before this new guy came out of nowhere and joined the fight Tokiomi wouldn’t have been happy about it, but Archer couldn’t sit by and watch someone win through using dirty tricks like attacking a person who couldn’t fight back. Although sniping an unaware target from over a kilometer away might also be considered a dirty trick. Not that it mattered to Archer; she had a very simple view on the morality of these situations: Anything was okay as long as she was the one doing it, but everyone else had to play by the rules. She was perfectly aware of the hypocrisy of that belief, but she didn’t really care.

Archer did a quick check of the surrounding areas. Assassin was still floating up there in the sky, making herself useful. Archer considered herself lucky that she’d managed to sneak out of the house before Tokiomi could have given her any orders, or else she might have had to join Assassin in doing…  _ work _ . A truly terrifying thought.

Something outside the battlefield caught Archer’s sharp eyes. Over there, on that big red bridge…. She turned her scope to face the Fuyuki Bridge. “Oho, isn’t that interesting….” It seemed like there was another pair observing this fight. A young man and woman. Based on her clothes, Archer assumed that the woman was probably the Servant. At least she hoped so; she’d feel really bad if she had to fight someone as frail looking as the boy.

Now, for the real question…. Was Tokiomi watching through her eyes right now? Archer paused for a little to check, but felt no trace of his presence. Which meant he didn’t know about this new Master-Servant pair. At least he wouldn’t until she told him about them.

….. Nah. Archer turned her scope back to the fight. If Tokiomi knew about them he’d probably make her investigate them. Or worse, fight them. And Archer thought that killing off two cuties like them so early into the war would just be a waste. What Tokiomi didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. Okay, well, it probably still could hurt him, but that was a problem for later. This wasn’t the time for worrying, it was the time for spectating on the fight.

 

**(*)**

 

“And now there’s this asshole!” Lancer growled as he staggered back from the punch.

‘This asshole’ still hadn’t lost his smile; if anything, it had only gotten bigger since hitting Lancer. He was a tall man, dressed in a leather jacket over a red collared shirt. His unruly dark hair framed a face covered in scars that gave his constant smile a sinister look. Having gotten Lancer’s attention, the man began to boldly shout, “Lament and despair, you pitiable fools! You stand in the presence of the greatest Berserker, nay, the greatest Servant of all time, Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov! The one predestined to defeat all foes in this Holy Grail War!”

Lancer scowled at the self-proclaimed Berserker. “I have no time for your mad ravings. Be a good child and wait your turn. I will take care of you once my duel with Saber is finished.”

“IMBECILE!” Berserker screamed at Lancer. “I said I would defeat all foes, not just some! You think I’m gonna stand by and let you kill Saber before me? Both of you shall die at my hands! Now have at ye, you ugly fucker!”

Berserker started charging at Lancer once more. But with the element of surprise gone, Lancer moved much faster. In a flash he rushed forward and stabbed his spear through Berserker’s chest. Even with a metal pole through him, Berserker kept trying to run forward, until Lancer lifted him off the ground with his spear. “ **Holy Flame** .” Lancer muttered with annoyance.

Fire roared up the spear, consuming Berserker and launching him off like a rocket. The fireball threw him into another container and then exploded in a blinding light. The blast destroyed the entire container, and burning shards of metal rained across the docks.

“Now, where were we….” Lancer turned back to Saber. Which left him completely unprepared for the the large hunk of metal debris that was thrown at the back of his head. Berserker was standing amidst the fiery wreckage, bloody and burnt but still smiling.

“Hey!” He yelled. “Don’t turn your back on me, you insignificant peon! I ain’t done with you yet!”

Growling with increasing frustration, Lancer launched another bolt of fire. Berserker began to laugh once more as he pulled a small knife from his pocket. The knife appeared to be boringly mundane; more akin to something bought at a cheap gas station than the weapon of a Heroic Spirit. With the fire just a moment away, Berserker readied his weapon. “[ _ Also Sprach Zarathustra _ ]  **Blade of the God Slayer** !” As a faint glow began to come from the knife, Berserker swung it at the approaching flame. The second his knife touched it, the entire firebolt completely vanished.

Silence fell. Lancer stared at Berserker, his mouth hanging open. How had…? What had just…?

Berserker’s laughter finally broke the silence. “Come on, man. Is that the best you’re capable of? You’re gonna have to try a lot harder!”

With that declaration, Berserker charged back to Lancer. Despite his surprise, Lancer reacted quickly and met Berserker’s charge with his spear. His defense would have been perfect, had Berserker cared about whether or not he was wounded. He was cut and stabbed several times, but didn’t slow down until he was right on Lancer, throwing himself forward and tackling the Servant to the ground. Lancer’s spear was useless against someone that close, but it was the perfect range for Berserker’s knife. The two grappled with each other on the ground, Berserker trying to bring his knife down on his target’s unprotected face while Lancer attempted to throw his attacker off.

 

Not far from the struggling Servants, Irisviel was pouring as much healing magic as she could into Saber. “The damage is too deep for me to heal everything,” she said with concern. “If I had more time, I could….”

“Don’t worry about that.” Saber cut her off. “Just stitch the muscles together so I can move and fight properly. We’ll deal with everything else later.”

“But….”

“Don’t. Worry. About. It.” Saber wasn’t going to let this chance slip by, no matter what state she was in.

As Irisviel mended Saber as best she could, the Servant kept a close eye on the fight between Berserker and Lancer. She needed just a single opening, just one moment where Lancer stopped focusing on defense….

There it was! Lancer had just thrown Berserker off him, and was preparing for a counterattack with his back to Saber. In that instant Saber sprinted back to the fight, ready to strike Lancer down while he was still distracted….

Before Saber could land her blow, Berserker suddenly threw himself in her way and punched her across the face, knocking her back. “What the heck?” She shouted. “I was helping you!”

“I don’t need your help.” Berserker smugly said. “I stated that I was going to kill  _ both _ of you, and I keep my promises. Now have at ye, you kill-stealing weakling!”

“You…! You…!” Saber could barely speak through her frustration. “Fine! Then I’ll just kill you along with Lancer!” She swung her sword down on Berserker, and he brought up his knife to meet her. When the two glowing blades locked together, sparks of energy exploded off them. Berserker may have had the advantage of height, but Saber was clearly the stronger of the two. Steadily, she pushed Berserker back, bringing her sword closer by the second.

“ **Holy Flame** !” Lancer’s fire roared towards the two Servants. Berserker broke from Saber to dispel the attack, giving her the chance to slip past him. Saber rushed at Lancer and swung her sword at his neck. There wasn’t time for him to block with his spear, so instead he blocked the attack with his arm. The sword smashed through his armor and cracked the bone underneath, nearly cutting the entire arm off. Even if it wasn’t a fatal blow, Saber had struck hard enough to throw Lancer off his feet. Saber stood over him, ready to bring her sword down. “Liber Azerate!” She yelled as magical energy burst through her body and golden lightning covered her sword.

At the last second before she struck, Berserker appeared behind her and stabbed her in the back. She quickly elbowed him away, but it hadn’t been fast enough. Lancer was back on his feet and ready to defend from any more of her attacks. All three Servants warily faced each other, bloodied but ready for their next clash.

 

The fight was quickly turning into a chaotic brawl. At this point, there was no way to tell who would be alive at the end. And Kiritsugu wasn’t the sort to take that kind of gamble. “I’m in position Maiyu. On my signal….”

 

**(*)**

 

_ So this is what a fight between Servants looks like _ , Waver thought to himself. Even after using magecraft to enhance his eyes it was difficult to follow everything happening on the docks. Not for the first time that night, Waver felt relieved that he’d decided to stay back and watch instead of getting involved.

“Waver, there’s someone else out there.” Rider said as she gestured towards another part of the docks. “Behind those crates.”

Waver followed her directions. Sure enough, someone was crouched there. It looked like….

“K-K-K-Kayneth?!” Waver yelped. Logically he knew that his teacher would be in the War; the entire reason Waver was here in the first place was due to stealing Kayneth’s catalyst. But he hadn’t expected to see him so soon.

“Someone you know?” Rider asked. After Waver nodded, she said, “Well that’s unfortunate.”

“What do you mean?” His question answered itself almost immediately. A wall of silvery metal formed next to Kayneth, blocking some kind of attack that was causing small sparks to fly off the wall. The metal was clearly a Mystic Code, but what kind of magecraft was that attack? Waver had never seen anything like it before. Waver looked towards the source of the attack, but instead of a mage casting spells, there was a woman firing a gun. Even though he was clearly seeing it, Waver had difficulty processing the image. Who brought a gun to the Holy Grail War? Wasn’t it supposed to be a fight between mages? What kind of mage used guns?

“Above them!” Rider said. Waver looked up to see another man, also armed with a gun, in Kayneth’s blind spot. Before Waver could realize what was happening, the man had pulled the trigger and the bullet tore through Kayneth’s skull.

 

* * *

 

 

_ Class:  _ Berserker

_ True Name:  _ Arkady Svidrigailov

_ Origin:  _ Smiting the Gods

_ Alignment:  _ Chaotic Evil

 

_ Strength: _ C

_ Endurance:  _ A+

_ Agility:  _ D

_ Mana:  _ E

_ Luck:  _ C-

 

_ Skills _

-Madness Enhancement D

-God Slayer A

-Battle Continuation EX: Arkady can fight at peak condition until his Spiritual Core is completely destroyed.

 

* * *

 

 

_ Noble Phantasm _ : Blade of the God Slayer EX   
_ User _ : Arkady

Against most targets it acts as a regular knife without any special properties. But when used on beings or objects with any form of Divinity, it becomes a conceptual weapon representing mankind’s rebellion against the gods. It can pierce any defense and dispel any power of Divine nature, and causes severe damage when used on Divine enemies.


	9. First Blood

**Apologies for the delay. Partway through writing this I ended up scrapping my entire original idea for the next few chapters, and it took a few attempts before I got a new outline that I liked.**

**I've also realized that I never categorized the Noble Phantasms mentioned in previous chapters. Lancer's Holy Flame is Anti-Army, and Berserker's Blade of the God Slayer is Anti-Unit.**

 

* * *

 

 

“Master!”

Lancer felt Kayneth’s fall the instant the bullet struck. In that moment, his mind was overwhelmed with need to protect his Master. Demonic wings made of pure shadow appeared on Lancer’s back, releasing a shockwave of power that threw Saber and Berserker away. He flew at a blinding pace to Kayneth’s side, only to find a corpse there. The kill had been instant; Kayneth died before he’d even know there was a second gunman.

“Don’t ignore me!” Berserker yelled as he charged into Lancer, throwing both of them through a shipping container. Saber followed behind, but stopped at Kayneth’s body. He seemed dead, but… better be sure. With two strikes, she decapitated Kayneth’s corpse and stabbed him through the heart.

 

(*)

 

Well, it seemed Saber hadn’t been lying about her willingness to attack Masters. Kiritsugu had been about to fire another shot to confirm Kayneth’s death when she’d beaten him to it. Once again he felt disturbed by how similarly he seemed to think as this “Hero.”

A series of explosions turned Kiritsugu’s attention away from his Servant. Columns of fire were following the clash between Lancer and Berserker as they moved through the docks. Despite Berserker’s resilience, he was being worn down by Lancer’s superior skill and strength. Lancer had grabbed him by the head and repeatedly smashed the Servant into the concrete ground, until Berserker’s body went limp. With a final furious shout, Lancer threw Berserker into the sea. With one distraction out of the way, he turned towards Saber and the headless body of his Master.

“Honorless apostate!” He roared. “You will pay in blood for your crime!” He charged at Saber, his spear burning with blindingly bright fire. She barely managed to bring her sword block the first attack, but it had carried enough strength to knock Saber off her feet anyways. Lancer made a second attack as she was falling, too quickly for her to defend against.

A bolt of green light seemed to fly out of nowhere and struck the head of Lancer’s spear, throwing off his aim just enough to miss Saber’s throat. She took the chance to regain her footing and fall back, getting a safe distance from Lancer’s attacks.

 

Far away, Archer pumped her fist in celebration. “Great shot, I-330! Thanks, I-330!” She said to herself.

 

Even as she retreated, Lancer’s fire pursued Saber. But without the need to protect Irisviel, Saber could use her agility to its full extent. Barely a spark touched her as she ducked and weaved between the flames. In frustration, Lancer launched a wave of fire that tore across the docks, throwing burning molten metal all around it. Saber smirked at the attack and casually lept dozens of meters into the air, easily clearing the wave. It would take something much bigger to kill her.

Except the goal of that attack hadn’t been killing Saber. In the brief seconds she had spent leaping over the wave of fire, Lancer had picked up his Master’s body and taken flight. His sudden retreat was unexpected enough that Saber had to pause for a moment before realizing what was happening. “Hey!” She yelled at her fleeing foe. “We weren’t done yet! Get back here and let me kill you!”

Of course Lancer didn’t respond to that. Groaning with impatience, Saber took off running after her enemy.

 

(*)

Kiritsugu’s eyebrows twitched in frustration as he saw his Servant sprint away from the docks. He’d been forced to keep his head low to avoid the shrapnel from Lancer’s last attack, and by the time he’d finally been able to get out of cover Saber was already charging into the city like a reckless idiot. She did understand that a girl running over 100 kilometers per hour straight through a populated and well lit city was the kind of attention they were supposed to be avoiding, right?

“Maiya, pick up Iri and escort her to the castle.” He messaged his assistant.

“Sir?” She replied, confused by the sudden change in plans.

“I need to deal with Saber’s ‘heroics’. I’ll meet you when I’ve collected her.”

“Understood. I’ll take care of it right away.”

With that matter settled, Kiritsugu lit a cigarette and took a slow drag on it. The easiest solution would be to use a Command Seal, but such valuable resources should be saved for when they were absolutely necessary. He’d need to drag Saber back the normal way. He just had to catch up with her before she caused too much trouble.

Kiritsugu had only taken a few steps before he stopped and hit his face with his palm. Right. Maiya had the car. And Irisviel had gotten here on foot, so he couldn’t borrow her vehicle.

This problem was going to be a lot more annoying than he’d first thought.

 

(*)

 

“The fight’s breaking up.” Assassin messaged to her Master, and through him to Tokiomi. “Saber won’t be able to catch up with Lancer on foot, but he won’t last much longer without a Master. It looks like the Einzberns win the first round.”

_ “Indeed.” _ Tokiomi replied gravely.  _ “We should take this as an example of why it is so dangerous to underestimate the Magus Killer. Is there anything else to report?” _

Assassin thoughtfully looked towards the building where the green bolt had been fired from. She hadn’t told Tokiomi or Kirei about Archer’s interference when it happened, and she was still debating that decision.

“... Nope. Nothing else here. Berserker’s still taking a swim and the Einzbern’s are getting ready to leave.”

_ “Very well. Return to Kirei when as soon as possible. The three of us will need to discuss our strategy in light of what we’ve learned today.” _

“Of course.” Assassin waited until she was sure Tokiomi was no longer listening. “Master?”

“Hm?” Apart from relaying Assassin’s messages, Kirei had been almost completely silent during the fight.

“I’ve got my sight on Kiritsugu.” She said while watching the odd scene of the infamous Magus Killer trying to hail a taxi. “It wouldn’t be very hard for me to tail him.”

Kirei took a long time to reply. “Tokiomi wanted you to return to me immediately.”

There had been just the tiniest hint of uncertainty in his response. Exactly what Assassin was looking for. “I dunno, after seeing how much of a threat he was in that fight, I’d like to have a bit more info. Nothing major, just a little scouting.” Just give Kirei the excuse he desperately wanted, and let him do the rest.

Kirei hesitated for even longer that time. Just one more push, then…. “He’s just gotten a vehicle. If I lose sight of him now, I don’t know if we’ll be able to track him again.”

“Follow Kiritsugu.” Kirei replied immediately. “Keep me updated on everything you see. I’ll tell Tokiomi that we’ll be late meeting him.”

“Of course, my Master.” A hint of a genuine smile momentarily twitched on Assassin’s face. Even if she couldn’t make herself feel happy, there was still some satisfaction when things went exactly the way you wanted them to.

 

* * *

 

_ Background Lore _ : The Titans and the Titanomachy

_ Origin:  _ The Empire of Omegia

The Titanomachy was a feudal theocracy centered in what would be modern day China. The nation was founded by an extremist Demiurge cult that had fled the Empire of Omegia following a failed rebellion. In the year 307 After the Battle of Armageddon, the twelve original founders [Hyperion (Lancer) amongst them,] used their powers granted by the Demiurge to crush the local governments and establish an oppressive and expansionist dictatorship called the Titanomachy. Those twelve founders took on the title of “Titans,” and would later be worshipped in the Titanomachy as saints.

A period of rapid expansion followed as the Titanomachy spread westward until it reached the borders of the Empire of Omegia and the Pan-African Confederation. What followed was a brutal, decades long war that cost millions of lives. Unable to break through their enemies’ defenses, the Titanomachy found its stability cracking at the foundations. Supply lines reaching across the entire Asian continent and constant rebellions in conquered territories stretched their resources too thin to effectively govern. Soon the Titans themselves began to fall in battle; Hyperion was the fourth to die, assassinated by rebels in the Nile River Valley while he was commanding the defenses against a new PAC offensive.

With their nation collapsing, a small cadre of lesser nobles launched a coup from within the Titanomachy, killing the remaining Titans and seizing control of the country. In an attempt to avoid complete destruction, the new government sued for peace, offering all of its conquered territories.

Losing the war left the Titanomachy as a weak state, largely unimportant in the greater geopolitical picture. It would remain that way until its complete destruction during the War in Heaven, nearly a century later.


	10. Pursuit

The lights of Fuyuki streamed by Saber as she dashed through the city. This world was filled with so many strange things, but she could understand the chase. Leaping through an urban jungle, sprinting between cars, jumping off walls…. Even with the unfamiliar buildings and unusual city layout, she almost felt like she was back at home.

Although most the enemies she’d pursued in her life couldn’t fly. In spite of her experience and impossibly fast acrobatics, she’d lost sight of Lancer. Saber had hoped running to the top of a nearby skyscraper would get her line of sight back on him, but even that idea had failed. No matter how much she inspected the skyline, there wasn’t anyone flying in sight.

“Stupid, stupid Titan!” Eris yelled, slamming her foot down onto the skyscraper’s roof with enough strength to crack the ground. He’d made such a big deal about “honor” and her supposed “cowardice,” only to run off the moment things started looking bad. And she’d been so close to winning…. If she’d just had a few more minutes, and maybe permission to use her Noble Phantasm, she’d have been able to add Lancer’s head to her collection. And if he just went and vanished from lack of mana, without letting her be the one to take him down….

This wasn’t over yet. There was no way she was going to let the opportunity to kill a Titan slip through her fingers. She’d find Lancer. She’d find him if she had to search the whole darn city!

Those were Saber’s thoughts as she leaped from her perch and continued her dash through Fuyuki’s streets. Unfortunately, she didn’t realize that she was running in the complete wrong direction.

 

(*)

 

Waver hadn’t spoken a single word since leaving the Fuyuki Bridge. It concerned Rider, but after stumbling over her first few attempts to start a conversation, she’d stopped talking as well. Their entire ride back home was in complete silence.

Rider was having a hard time understanding her Master. As a mage, he must be familiar with death. And he must surely have seen someone killed before; no one would be rash enough to voluntarily join something as dangerous as the Holy Grail War without any experience.

_ And how much experience did I have the first time I saw someone be killed? _ The thought came unbidden to her mind, bringing unpleasant memories with it.

She still hadn’t come up with anything to say when their ride stopped at the MacKenzie’s house. When Rider had learned Waver was hypnotizing the elderly couple living here into thinking he was their grandson, she had been… uncomfortable with the plan. Even if Waver wasn’t harming them, Rider didn’t like the idea of using magecraft to control people’s minds. But she wasn’t sure how to bring up that topic with her Master, especially in the state he was now.

Neither Glen or Martha Mackenzie were awake when went inside, and Waver’s silent march to his room didn’t disturb their rest. Upon reaching his room, he immediately fell onto his bed. Rider was becoming increasingly concerned at his behavior, and shyly said, “Master, are you alright?”

“ I’m fine ”

“I’m sorry, what was that?”

“I said I’m fine!” He shouted, making Rider jump in fright. She stepped away from Waver and didn’t speak another word.

Waver turned over in his bed so he wasn’t looking at Rider. He knew he shouldn’t have yelled at her. But right now, he didn’t want to talk to anyone. The scene from the docks kept replaying in his head. It had all happened so quickly that he still was trying to understand how he felt about it. It’s not as if he’d liked Kayneth; the man had been at the top of his list of “Assholes who I’ll prove wrong one day.” But there was a difference between hating someone and watching them be killed.

The worst part had been how Kayneth was killed. Even if he hadn’t come from an established bloodline, Waver had spent his whole life immersed in Magus culture. The idea that duels between mages was supposed to be a test of each other’s magecraft had been taught to him since birth. And yet there hadn’t been any magecraft in Kayneth’s death. All it had taken to kill one of the strongest mages in the Association was a normal, man-made bullet. Waver didn’t know if the shooter had even been a mage; any ordinary person could have done it.

What was the point of Magecraft if it could be beaten so easily? How could he defend against something like that? All of his preparations for the war had assumed he would be facing other mages. There would be nothing he could do to stop someone from just shooting a bullet through his window while he slept.

Nervously, Waver glanced out the bedroom window just to be safe. There didn’t seem to be anyone hiding out in the shadows waiting to kill him, but that didn’t settle his worries. “Hey, Rider?” He finally said after failing to find a blind spot he could lie down in.

“...Yes?” Rider answered, cautiously. She seemed to be expecting more shouting, which just made Waver feel even guiltier.

“Could you… keep watch tonight?”

The request seemed to catch her by surprise for a moment, but she soon smiled and said, “Of course. No harm will come to you as long as I am here. You have my word.”

The tension drained from Waver as he finally let himself relax. “Thank you. Um… Rider, I’m sorry for-”

The sound of the door opening up caught the two completely off guard. Martha Mackenzie poked her head into the room, quietly saying, “Waver? Are you back? I heard you talking….” She stopped when she saw Rider. Waver and his Servant had completely frozen when she’d entered, their minds racing to think of an explanation for Rider’s presence.

Martha came up with an explanation of her own. “Oh my!” She said, followed by a giggle. “Waver dear, you should have told us you were bringing a girlfriend over! I’ll leave you two alone. Remember not to stay up too late!”

She was out the door before either could respond, leaving Waver and Rider standing in shocked silence, their mouths hanging slightly open. After an awkward few seconds, Rider quickly said, “I’m going to go keep watch,” and vanished.

“Right… you go do that….” Waver spoke in a strained voice. He could already predict the awkward conversations he’d be having with his “grandparents” tomorrow….

 

(*)

 

Something had gone terribly wrong.

Sola-Ui had to admit that Kayneth’s plan of having her, rather than himself, provide Lancer mana was one of the few intelligent decisions her fiance had made. It would have let him use the full strength of his magecraft without having to worry about draining his Servant’s mana supply. Of course he had to ruin his own plan by hiding like a coward while Lancer did all the work, but Sola-Ui had expected such incompetence from him.

Sola-Ui had resented her engagement with Kayneth from the moment her family had announced it, and everything she’d seen since just made those feelings worse. Here she was, one of the most talented members of her bloodline, forced to marry the most egotistical idiot in the world and be dragged to some backwards country halfway across the planet while her brother got to inherit everything. It was no surprise she was feeling a tad grumpy.

She’d been stewing in her resentment at the apartment when she felt something change. Lancer’s drain on her mana had been a constant sensation since the summoning ritual; long enough for her to become accustomed to the feeling. When the mana drain suddenly increased, she knew something must have happened. But she hadn’t imagined how bad it would be.

Several minutes after feeling that change, a furious Lancer flew in through the window, carrying the bloody body of Kayneth. Sola-Ui didn’t believe her eyes at first, until Lancer began ranting. “The treacherous cowards!” He roared, loud enough to shake the ceiling. “They knew they were too weak to defeat me properly! I will make them burn in eternal fire for their crimes!”

Sola-Ui ignored the raving Servant to focus on Kayneth. After getting over the first moment of shock, she couldn’t say that she was very upset about his death. More than anything, she felt satisfaction that she’d been proven right about his chances in the war. Only someone as foolish as Kayneth would manage to get killed on the first night.

Satisfying as his death may be, this was going to cause problems. All the politics surrounding their engagement were going to become even more complicated. And then there was the issue of the Servant…. Now that she knew Kayneth was dead, it was obvious why Lancer was taking more mana. Without an actual Master, Lancer wouldn’t receive any mana from the Grail. Likely the only reason he hadn’t vanished was by drawing energy from her. And while Sola-Ui may have an above average number of magical circuits, it was impossible for her to maintain something as powerful as a Heroic Spirit for very long. And she had no intention of becoming a Master and getting involved in this nonsensical Grail War.

Lancer still wouldn’t shut up. “... will squeeze the life out of their throats! My revenge shall be merciless and just! They will regret stepping foot in this city! I-”   
“Lancer.” Sola-Ui finally interrupted him. He glared at her, but stopped speaking. She’d never gotten along with him; it had always been like dealing with a second Kayneth. When he’d first been summoned she’d hoped that their strong personalities would clash, but instead they ended up having such similar beliefs that the two had practically become soulmates. Listening to her fiance and his Servant talking for hours about noble bloodlines and such had been torture on her ears.

“Yes, my lady?” He snarled out.

While she may have wanted to just leave immediately, the issue of this Servant needed to be taken care of first. “I need to return to my family in London and deal with the fallout of this mess. I can provide you mana for two days, so you can find a new Master.” There, that should be an acceptable compromise.

Lancer swung his spear at Sola-Ui’s throat, stopping just a hair’s breadth from piercing the skin. Apparently not acceptable enough for him.

“You dare speak of fleeing? After what the craven cowards did to your lord?” Lancer shouted again. Sola-Ui bit back a sharp remark about him calling Kayneth ‘her lord,’ but the blade pricking her neck was a strong argument for silence. “I swore my loyalty to Lord Kayneth El-Melloi!” He continued. “He is the only Master I shall serve in this war, and it is our duty to avenge his death! If you so much as think about running away, then I will cut you down like the traitorous deserter you are.”

Sola-Ui tried to keep her breathing steady as the Servant furious gaze stared down at her. In just one night, everything had managed to fall apart. Her fiance, and with it her family’s alliance with the El-Melloi’s, dead. Her mana being drained faster than she could recover. And an insane Heroic Spirit pointing a blade right at her. She couldn’t think of a way out of this. Without Command Spells, a Servant was too much for a Mage to control. But unless she stopped him, this madman was going to get her killed….

Lancer suddenly pulled the spear away and spun to face the window, his interest in Sola-Ui completely gone. A menacing smile spread across his face as he whispered, “They’re here.”


	11. The Armor of Thule

    A hand burst from the water by the Fuyuki docks as Berserker grabbed onto the shore and pulled himself back onto land.

    “Alright!” He gasped as he stumbled onto his feet. “Now, where were we!?”

    No one answered his call. The fight had ended long before he’d managed to return. Berserker only had himself to blame for that; it would have been much faster to have assumed his spiritual form instead of physically swimming out. But the Servant had an unyielding stubborn streak that compromised for nothing. Despite his Master’s insistence on having to save mana, Berserker had declared shortly after his summoning that using his spiritual form would “make things too easy.” Now there was no force in the world short of a command spell that could make him back down on that claim.

    “Hellooooo!” Berserker yelled into the empty docks. No response except for the echo of his voice. “Well, if you’re all too scared to come back and fight me, then I’ll just have to hunt you down myself!”

    The grinning Servant only managed to take a few strides before his Master’s voice rang out in his head, saying, “ _Berserker, return to me_.”

    Berserker froze on the spot, his smile changed into a ferocious snarl as he tried to fight against the command. “Kariya….” He growled, “You dare order me around?”

    In spite of his anger, Berserker couldn’t fight against the compulsion of a command seal. He faded away, shouting obscenities towards his Master until he had completely vanished.

 

(*)

 

    The Fuyuki Hyatt Hotel was impossible to miss. As the tallest building in the city, it dominated the skyline. Kiritsugu had thought that anyone would be able to easily find it.

    _So why isn’t Saber here?_

    Kiritsugu furiously chewed on the end of his burnt out cigarette. He’d assumed that his Servant would have enough common sense to suspect that Lancer would likely retreat back to Kayneth’s headquarters, but apparently he’d overestimated her. Had she really just started chasing Lancer without any plan? Without even a little thought put into her actions? It was infuriating how Saber refused to take this war seriously.

    Kiritsugu tossed the cigarette aside as he reexamined the situation. Lancer’s ability to keep using his Noble Phantasm after losing his Master had been unexpected. There were three possible explanations that Kiritsugu had come up with for that surprise. The first, and best outcome, was that Lancer’s attacks were the desperate last stand of a dying Servant who would disappear on his own. Kiritsugu was too much a pessimist to consider that for more than a few seconds.

The second, and worst possibility, was that Lancer was far stronger than any of them had expected. Strong enough to burn through massive amounts of mana without even needing a Master. He considered that to be as unlikely as the first; a Servant so powerful wouldn’t have struggled like Lancer had when fighting Saber and Berserker.

That left the third reason: Kayneth wasn’t Lancer’s mana source. Perhaps he had even been a decoy, just like Irisviel was to Saber. It seemed wildly out of character for the proud mage to use underhanded tactics like that, but the other two possibilities were even less likely. And if that was the case, then they weren’t finished with Lancer yet.

The safest way of dealing with him would be to fall back for now and return when they were prepared. It’s what Kiritsugu would have done years ago, before meeting Irisviel. But now, every time he started to consider letting Lancer go for today, the memory of flames roaring towards Iri came back. He couldn’t let an enemy who was so eager to attack his family run loose.

Reluctantly, Kiritsugu opened a mental link with Saber. He’d been avoiding doing so since her summoning, but now that she’d run off it was the only way to contact her. Kiritsugu resisted the urge to groan when he sensed how off the mark his Servant had gone. “Saber, you’re too far south.” He mentally messaged her, hoping the reckless idiot would listen.

It took Saber a few moments to react. She probably was shocked at receiving her first message ever from Kiritsugu. But she soon began moving north, towards the hotel. It wouldn’t be long before she arrived, so Kiritsugu had to think of a plan quickly. Ideally he’d just blow the whole building up, but all his heavy explosives were still with Maiya. They’d need to do this the hard way….

 

(*)

 

    “Who’s here?” Sola-Ui began to ask, before the hotel’s fire alarm began to screech. The sound made Lancer grin with bloodlust.

    “It seems I won’t need to bother hunting Saber down.” He said, not even noticing Sola-Ui’s question. “The Demiurge must be smiling on me today.”

    “Are… are you saying it’s a Servant?” Sola-Ui asked, the growing panic evident in her voice. “No, no no no… I have to get out of here. Lancer, take me to a safe location!”

    The Servant didn’t acknowledge her request. With a scowl, Sola-Ui said again, with more force, “Lancer, I order you to take me to safety!”

    Lancer’s spear swung back towards the magus, a stream of fire erupting along its length. The flame formed a circle on the ground around Sola-Ui, trapping her in place.

    “Stay put until I am done with my fight. I will deal with your treason later.” Lancer didn’t care enough to listen to her reply. There was only one thing on his mind now.

    He could feel Saber down below, waiting for him. It took all Lancer’s control to stay controlled and dignified, instead of charging downstairs like a starving beast. No matter how much he craved slaughtering the apostate, he understood that revenge was something best drawn out and savored. He wanted to enjoy every moment of her death.

    The elevator brought Lancer down to the ground floor, where Saber was already waiting for him with sword drawn and a cocky smile on her face. “Took you long enough!” She shouted as Lancer’s stepped out. “I was starting to think you were still hiding.”

    Lancer ignored the insult, and smiled at his opponent. “Don’t become to confident, apostate. I would have crushed you in our last fight were it not for Berserker’s interruption.”

    Saber shrugged. “Maybe.” Then her smile took on a predatory tone. “But this time, I won’t be holding back.”

 

(*)

 

    A construction site across from the Hyatt provided Assassin with the perfect location to spy on the unaware Saber and Lancer. With all the building’s occupants being evacuated, there was no one to get in the way of her enhanced eyes.

    A sound coming up the stairs behind her caught Assassin’s attention, but she already knew who it was. “I’m quite surprised with you, Master.” She said without turning around. “I wasn’t expecting you to come out here yourself. Why have you decided to grace me with your presence tonight?”

    Kirei hid is surprise at Assassin noticing him so quickly. He quietly walked to his Servant and asked, “What have you seen so far?” It was clear Kirei was avoiding the topic of his reason for coming. Even he wasn’t entirely sure why he was taking such a risk just to see Kiritsugu’s fight in person. Despite his obsession with the Magus Killer, Kirei had thought he was rational enough to avoid such dangerous actions. And yet, here he was.

    “Eris -I mean, Saber - went in shortly after the building was evacuated. Kiritsugu entered through a side door soon after that.” Assassin answered. “It seems he’s using Saber as a distraction again while he goes out and seizes the kill himself. Just like at the docks.”

    The moment Assassin had told him which entrance Kiritsugu had gone through, Kirei was already walking away. Assassin caught his arm before he made it far. “Oh? And where do you think you’re going, Master? Surely not planning to run off after Kiritsugu?”

    For a moment, Kirei felt the urge to tear apart the arm holding him back. He quickly suppressed the sinful emotion. “With him separated from Saber, now is the best chance to eliminate the Magus Killer.” He said, carefully trying to keep his tone level. The words sounded hollow even to himself; they both knew he’d come up with that excuse only after he’d started to run off.

    “You don’t want to go in there.” Assassin said, looking back at the dark clouds gathering over the Hyatt. “Remember what I said back at the docks about those two?” When Kirei shook his head, she continued. “If Eris and Hyperion actually fight each other seriously, the only thing that’ll be left of their battlefield is a crater.”

 

(*)

 

    Arcs of lightning crackled around Saber as she drew energy into herself. She was building an enormous amount of mana; it had already surpassed what any mage in the War had seen before, and was only continuing to grow.

    All of Lancer’s combat instincts screamed at him to attack Saber immediately, before she could finish preparing whatever Noble Phantasm she had in store. But Lancer’s reason had been lost with his Master, and all he cared about was crushing Saber in body and spirit. What better way to break her than allow her to use her ultimate power, and then still destroy her? And so he waited, his anticipation growing as her power did.

    And then, Saber finally called out, “[ _Light of the New Aeon_ ] **Armor of Thule**!”

    A massive bolt of lighting came from the clouds above, smashing through the roof of the Hyatt. It soared down the center of the building, breaking through each floor, until it struck Saber in an explosion of blinding light. When Lancer’s eyes cleared enough to see Saber again,, she was wearing a suit of armor over her coat. The entire set was made of the same material as her sword; an unearthly stone that glowed with a shifting rainbow of colors. Jagged edges ran along every plate, giving the armor a rough and spiky look.

    Lancer frowned in disappointment. After so much buildup, he’d been expecting something flashier. An ultimate technique, or some powerful weapon. If the best this Saber could do was to strengthen her defenses, then it was even more disgraceful that he had lost his Master to her. “Do you think a few plates of useless armor can stop my spear?”

    Saber didn’t even seem to notice the insult. She launched herself at Lancer with a massive burst of mana and lunged at his throat. He barely managed to block the attack with his spear, but the strength behind it sent him flying through a wall. Saber gave him no time to recover, chasing after him with another brutal attack. Lancer managed to recover quickly enough to block the attack, but was soon being driven back by his opponent’s furocious offensive. He could only grit his teeth in frustration as he was smashed through another wall. This was the same Saber he had fought at the docks, but any desire to conserve mana was gone. Her every attack, every movement, was powered by a massive Mana Burst. She would have burned through all her energy within seconds at this pace, but the incredible amount of power coming from that armor gave her mana to spare. That this damned woman thought she could bring herself to his level with this power… it was pure heresy. He would not let it stand.

    “ **Holy Flame**!” Lancer roared his phantasm’s name as fire erupted around the two fighters. At this close range, Saber wouldn’t have enough time to dodge or deflect the attack. She didn’t even try, still pressing the attack as she was consumed by the inferno. It was almost disappointing how easy it had been, Lancer thought. He had hoped she would have survived longer. But at least now, his Master had been avenged….

    Lancer wasn’t able to savor his victory long, as Saber soon came out of the flames, completely unharmed. Only his quick reactions prevented her from landing a fatal blow. “What kind of monster are you?” He shouted at her in rage. “No one can survive the Demiurge’s fire!”

    Saber threw her head back and laughed at his confusion. “This ‘useless’ armor shields me from all divine powers.” She bared her teeth in a cruel smile. “Your god can’t touch me.”

    Lancer had been holding back his emotions during the fight as best he could, but this act of pure blasphemy broke the last restraint on his anger. He roared, unable to piece together any words through the fog of rage. Black wings of shadow appeared on his back, and he charged blindly at Saber. Everything in his mind had been forgotten except for the overwhelming, burning desire to kill her, at any cost.

 

(*)

 

    The walls shook from the battle between Servants. Kiritsugu had to balance himself on the stairway’s railing for a moment to keep on his feet before he continued upwards. The stairs were meant for staff only, putting it far from the center of the hotel where the fighting was taking place. Now he was hoping Saber had enough sense to avoid pulling the fight towards him.

    “Saber having sense. I’m doomed.” He muttered with a trace of grim humor.

    Kiritsugu maintained a cautious pace as he moved forward. He was constantly reaching out with his senses, looking for any trace of mana. Most of Kayneth’s defenses should have died along with him, but….

    There. He could sense a rune hidden on the next step. It was weak, and he could feel the mana steadily draining away from it, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still dangerous. Kayneth had been a powerful mage; it was to be expected that some of his traps would linger after his death. With careful precision, Kiritsugu ran a small amount of mana into the rune, disarming the trap. These obstacles were making his ascent painfully slow. Even so, he was almost there….

    Kiritsugu had his hand on the door handle to the floor Kayneth had been staying on when he heard a loud bang behind him. He threw himself to the ground on instinct, narrowly avoiding a metal screw that had burst out of the wall. Several more bangs occured in succession, followed by water pouring at high pressure out of the holes they had made. Kiritsugu couldn’t understand why, but all the water pipes on this floor were suddenly bursting open. Was this a result of Saber’s fight? No, the two Servants had made it up to the roof by then; he couldn’t imagine them doing anything to affect the water system. One of Kayneth’s traps? He hadn’t sensed anything…

    He didn’t have the time to waste on that puzzle. The water was annoying, but not a threat. He kicked open the door and ran out of the stairwell, drawing his Thompson Contender as he prepared for his own fight. The suite Kayneth had rented was just two doors away from the stairs. Kiritsugu’s plan was rough, but he was confident in his chances. Keep whomever was giving Lancer mana distracted by the Servant fight, then use Time Alter to get into their room and shoot them before they could fight back. If he moved fast enough, he wouldn’t even need to use an Origin round to kill them.

    Just seconds before Kiritsugu could put his plan into action, an explosion came from inside Kayneth’s room, blowing the door off its hinged. Kiritsugu paused in shock for a moment. Had… Saber managed to reach Lancer’s true Master first? No, she was still on the roof. Then what had….

    Kiritsugu ran through the broken frame, and found a half-flooded suite that was burning with a sickly green fire. Whatever caused that explosion had nearly destroyed the entire place; even the walls and ceiling looked ready to collapse at any moment. Only half the windows were still intact. Kiritsugu immediately went on the defensive in case whoever made that explosion was still around, but no attack came. No matter where he looked, there wasn’t a single trace of anyone else in the entire suite.

 

(*)

 

Without warning, Lancer felt his connection to Sola-Ui vanish. The sudden shock woke him from his enraged state as he realized what had happened. He’d fallen for the same trick again; while he was distracted by the apostate, someone else had gone after his anchor to the world. Making that mistake once had been a mark against his pride, but to do it again merely hours later….

    Lancer didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on his failures, as Saber launched another string of attacks against him. Now that he had calmed slightly, Lancer realized that this fight had been going nowhere. The two had fought each other with their full strength all the way to the rooftop, wrecking most of the building along the way, and yet neither were any closer to victory than they’d been at the beginning. That a mere apostate was able to match his strength was infuriating but Lancer had to accept it. He had only a few minutes now to achieve his revenge now, and he couldn’t let himself be held back by overconfidence or anger.

    Lancer disengaged from Saber and quickly backed away to create distance. His enemy may be strong, but he had one advantage she didn’t: flight. It hadn’t been of much use in the cramped hotel, but now they were outside, and he was thinking clearly enough to plan properly. Lancer leaped into the air with a burst of energy from his black wings. Without even a trace of caution, Saber jumped after him, apparently planning to cut him down in the air. A fool’s mistake, which Lancer intended to use to the fullest. To avoid the attack he only needed to move a few meters to the side. Now, instead of rising up to meet her opponent, Saber was falling without any way to control her movement. Lancer followed up by striking her with the handle of his spear, knocking her away from the rooftop. Her desperate flailing was useless as she began to fall to the streets below. And she had no means to dodge while in free fall.

    Lancer hefted his lance like a javelin and aimed towards his falling enemy. He closed his eyes to briefly pray, “Oh Lord, send down your holy fire upon this corrupt world so that it may be cleansed of all who defy your light.” His eyes opened, filled with furious focus. “AMEN!”

    Lancer threw his spear at supersonic speeds. Saber had no time to block it before the point smashed through her armor and plunged into her chest. And with that, she silently fell to the ground.

    Now there was one more issue to deal with. Lancer flew down a few stories and through the window of Kayneth’s suite. The entire place had been wrecked. And just as he’d feared, Sola-Ui was nowhere in sight. He may have hated the woman for her disloyalty, but she’d been necessary. He’d planned to keep her alive at least a little while longer.

    But the room wasn’t entirely empty. By the doorway stood a man in a black coat and carrying a ridiculously oversized pistol. Lancer’s eyes quickly glanced at the three red markings on the man’s hand. So this was the Master who had killed his mana supply.

    Despite being face to face with an enemy Servant, Kiritsugu displayed no emotion. That fact brought Lancer’s still simmering temper back out. “You should learn to fear those better than you, human.” He said with a menacing step forward.

    Kiritsugu’s calm remained unbroken. His answer was to raise the Contender and point it towards Lancer. Such an unexpected sight made Lancer briefly forget his anger as he burst into a short fit of laughter. “Do you actually think you can harm me with that toy?” He smugly said.

    “No.” Kiritsugu spoke the single word without any emotion before pulling the trigger. The Origin round shot harmlessly by Lancer, hitting the wall nearby.

    Lancer had to laugh again. At least this jester was providing some entertainment before his death. “You missed.” He said with the same smugness as before.

    And then everything around Lancer exploded. The last traces of Kayneth’s defenses were ripped apart by the Origin round and released all their remaining energy with tremendous force. The spells had become too weak to harm Lancer, but it still created a cloud of dust and debris that blocked his sight. He roared with anger as he futilely tried swatting aside the dust. As soon as he found that human, he was going to murder that them. Rip out his intestines and strangle him to death with….

    Lancer heard the sound of a window shatter behind him, followed immediately by a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down, but could barely believe what he saw. His spear. The spear he’d last seen impaling Saber. Why… why was his own spear stabbing through him?

    In a daze, Lancer looked back at the window. There was a hole in it, created by his spear as it had flown through the air. No, not just the spear…. Someone had taken a massive jump and was coming towards them as well.

    Saber smashed through the glass. She was covered in blood from the still-open wound in her chest, but all she felt was a tightly focused rage. “Liber….” She said as she raised her sword and it began to crackle with golden electricity. Lancer tried to back away, but there was no escaping the furious swordswoman. “AZERATE!” She brought the glowing sword down on Lancer’s shoulder, cutting diagonally all the way to his waist. He stumbled back a few steps more before his body fell into two cleanly cut halves.

    Lancer tried to pull himself up with his arms, but with half a body he didn’t have the strength. After realizing that, he gave a single bitter laugh. “Impressive, apostate.” He whispered. “You have-”

    Saber didn’t listen to the rest. She gave two quick strikes; a slash across the neck and a stab through the heart. She kept her sword in his heart until his body began to fade into glowing embers and vanished. With Lancer’s death confirmed, Saber released a heavy sigh. The pain that she’d been ignoring came back all at once. Multiple broken bones. Several deep lacerations. Her arms still recovering from being burned earlier in the night. A hole in her chest, only barely missing her heart. Just staying on her feet was taking enormous effort.

    Slowly, and with obvious pain, Saber turned to face Kiritsugu. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment, before Saber broke out a grin. “Mission accomplished, Comrade-Master Grumpy Pants!” Was the last thing she said before collapsing into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

 

 _Noble Phantasm_ : Armor of Thule EX

 _User_ : Eris

 

    A suit of armor made entirely of pleroma, the sacred knowledge of the Monad given physical form. Against physical or magical attacks it only provides a minor boost in defense, but it renders the wearer completely immune to any form of Divine power. The large amount of pleroma in one place warps reality around it, thinning the barrier between its wearer and the Monad. This allows them to draw on extra energy beyond the physical universal, as well as upgrades Mana Burst to A+


	12. Damsel in Distress

_ A few minutes earlier…. _

 

“Giessen!” Sola-Ui spoke the final word of the spell, releasing a burst of water from her hand. Like all her previous attempts, the water evaporated into steam the moment it touched the fire around her. Fear was the only thing stopping her from just giving up; Sola-Ui was perfectly aware that she would never be able to create enough water to put out flames as hot as this, but every time the building shook from the nearby battle her desperation was renewed.

Another failed spell left her reserves drained almost entirely dry. Her entire body felt like it was trying to rip itself apart as her magical circuits screamed in agony. She had one more shot at this. One last chance to escape….

“Well, you definitely look like someone in need of a hand.”

The unfamiliar voice interrupted her thoughts, throwing off the spell before it could be finished. Another woman had appeared in the room without Sola-Ui noticing her. An odd woman. With that eyepatch, ridiculously long hair, and beat-up suit she looked more like a character from a movie instead of any normal person Sola-Ui had seen. And that was saying quite a bit, considering she’d grown up around mages. And then there was that immense magical aura surrounding her….

Sola-Ui froze in terror when she realized the implications of that power.  _ A Servant _ . Was this the one that had killed Kayneth? Had she come to finish them all off? What was Lancer doing, he was supposed to be fighting the enemy Servant right now!

“I’m-I’m not a Master,” Sola-Ui said with as much confidence as she could pull together. Even in a situation like this, she would not let her be seen cowering in front of a damned familiar. “I have nothing to do with the war. So-”

“Oh I don’t give a shit about any of that.” The Servant said. “I’m here to rescue you!”

The absurdity of that claim caused Sola-Ui’s mind to go blank. For several moments she tried and failed to put together a proper response, finally just settling on, “But… why?” Even if she hadn’t been contracted to one of their enemies, there was no understandable reason a Master would send their Servant to do this.

“Well, obviously, it’s ‘cause you’re a damsel in distress.” The Servant said as she began to slowly walk around the ring of fire, carefully inspecting it as she went. “And I’m supposed to be a  _ Heroic _ spirit, after all. Rescuing damsels in distress is one of the most important jobs of a hero!” The Servant tried poking a glove-covered finger into the fire. The result was unsurprising: she yelped in pain and pulled her hand away in less than a second. “I’m I-330, by the way.” The Servant said, pretending she hadn’t just done anything stupid. “Servant class is Archer, but if you call me that I’ll smack ya. What’s yours?”

That was a potentially dangerous question. No matter how friendly I-330 was acting, giving your name to a supernatural being could give them all kinds of power over you. Still… there was no guarantee she’d be able to escape without this Servant’s help. The possibility that I-330 was trying to harm her vs. the certainty that Lancer meant to when he returned. Neither were good choices, but she had to go with the one that gave her a chance.

“My name is Sola-Ui Nuada-re Sophia-Ri.” She said, with the proper amount of pride one should have when speaking to a mere familiar.

I-330 didn’t say anything right away, other than making a low “Hmmmm….” sound. She began to stroke her chin while staring at Sola-Ui thoughtfully. The fear began to come back. What was the Servant planning? Had it been a mistake to give her name? What kind of treacherous plans were being formed in I-330’s mind?

“Alright!” I-330 said with sudden exuberance. “Let’s get you out of here, Ui-chan!”

…

…..

……….

“ _ Ui-chan?! _ ”

“Well, yeah.” It was impossible to tell if I-330’s smile was one of genuine friendliness, or if she was making fun of Sola-Ui. “I mean, I’m not usually one for honorifics, but when in Rome, right? And my first thought was Sola-chan, but then I realized that was too obvious, all your friends probably call you something like that. So I decided to go with something a bit different!”

The newly christened Ui-chan waited for I-330 to say something like, “Just kidding!” That statement never came.

“Alright Ui-chan, I got an idea. I’ma be right back, just stay there.” Before Ui could get another word out, I-330 vanished. No golden sparkles, no fancy lights; one moment she was there, and the next she was gone. And less than a minute after her disappearance, I-330 reappeared. Despite being gone for only a few seconds, when I-330 came back she was covered in grease and holding a wrench. “All done!” She said. “Now, if you could just move your head a bit to the left… no, my left not yours… Perfect! Oh, and I forgot to make sure, you do know a spell that can protect you from something like hot steam, right?”

Before Ui could answer, all the water pipes in the walls burst open. A screw flew like a bullet by Ui’s ear, right where her head had been before I-330 had told her to move. Gallons of water fired out at high pressure into the room, hitting Lancer’s fire like a tidal wave. Ui had just a moment to reinforce her body before the combination of fire and water created a cloud of steam that would have burned any normal human alive.

No matter how hot Lancer’s Holy Flame burned, it was still fire. It couldn’t continue to burn after being completely smothered by water. The entire suite may have been flooded, but Ui’s prison was gone. This crazy Servant had actually done it.

But even if she had gotten rid of the fire, it was still an enemy Servant. Ui was immediately back on guard, in case Archer was planning to attack now that the barrier around Ui was gone. She flinched as the Servant reached for her, but all I-330 did was take hold of her hand. “Alright Ui-chan, you ready to get the fuck out of this place?”

“I-”

“Awesome, let’s go!”

I-330 aimed a handgun (wait, where had she gotten a gun?) at the window and fired through it, shattering it apart. It started to dawn on Ui how I-330 intended to get out, and her panic quickly returned. “Waitwaitwaitwait-”

I-330 wasn’t waiting. Pulling Ui along with her, she jumped through right out of the opened window, pausing only briefly to throw a… grenade? Now she had a grenade? When did she get that? To throw a grenade back into the room. An explosion of green fire consumed the entire suite as they leaped out, only a hair’s breadth ahead of the flame. Suddenly Ui found herself falling from the top of a massive skyscraper while being held by an insane familiar who was laughing like a kid on a rollercoaster.

“Okay!” I-330 had to yell to be heard over the rushing wind. “This next part is going to really suck unless you can clear your mind for a few moments! Do you think you can do that?!”

“What?!” Ui shouted back, barely understanding what I-330 was saying through her panic.

“Eh, don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of it!” Without any warning I-330 pulled Ui towards her, and fiercely kissed her lips.

Ui’s mind went blank. Huh? What?  _ Why _ ? She barely noticed the magical energy flowing from I-330 into her, enhancing every sensation to the point where she couldn’t think clearly even if she had tried. Without even realizing it she had begun to kiss back, hungry for more of this feeling.

When I-300 pulled away, Ui felt like an alcoholic who’s drink had been stolen. She wanted to grab I-330 back, taste her lips again, feel that power flow through her…. And then, like having a bucket of cold water thrown over her, Ui’s sense of rationality came back, along with a strong amount of embarrassment. She was a proper mage and a member of an ancient noble family. This was no time to be acting like a hormonal teenager. It wasn’t as if that had been her first kiss, after all. Her first kiss with another girl, maybe, but that shouldn’t have been this much of an issue. Definitely her first kiss with a powerful magic spirit with powers beyond most mage’s comprehension.

Yes, that last one had to be the reason for her reaction. What terrifying beings these Servants were.

At least they weren’t falling anymore. They didn’t seem to be anywhere near the hotel. When Ui’s mind had cleared enough to look at her surroundings, she saw that they were in front of a church. But the overseer’s church was on the complete opposite side of the city; it should have been impossible to get there so quickly.

“Hey, you alright there?” I-330 said, waving her hand in front of Ui’s eyes. “Still got all your limbs and organs, right? Sometimes those get left behind if the person I’m moving isn’t distracted enough. Something about quantum, or that Schroedinger nonsense. But yeah, kidney and liver are both all good?”

Ui blushed under I-330’s gaze, but the mage inside her was thinking furiously. Had that been teleportation? Something like that was only in the realm of True Magic. How had the Servant done that? From a Caster class, she could see it happening, but I-330 claimed to be an Archer. Although, in all fairness, absolutely nothing that had happened since this Servant had shown up had made any sense. Trying to figure it all out was probably a recipe for a headache.

“Well ya seem alright to me.” I-330 said after Ui failed to answer. “The guy that runs this church place is  _ super _ boring, but if you ask for sanctuary he should keep you safe for the rest of the war. Good place to avoid getting shanked by some dumb wizard who thinks you’re a threat because of the connection you had to Lancer. Oh, I broke that off by the way. He seemed like an asshole so I figured you’d be better off without him.”

“Even as flustered as she was, the magus inside Ui couldn’t let that claim go. “You did  _ what _ ?” But just as I-330 had said, Ui couldn’t feel Lancer’s presence anymore. “How?!”

Of course it would be too much to expect I-330 to actually give an answer beyond playfully winking and then suddenly changing the topic. “Well have fun at the church! They keep all the good drinks in the back! See ya!” With that, she vanished, leaving behind a small slip of paper drifting through the air. Ui caught it, and was only partly surprised to see that I-330 had written “Call me!” and a phone number. Ui sighed heavily, but there was a small smile on her face. What a baffling Servant. 


End file.
